


When The Day Met The Night

by Layora88



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: After Party, All of the Sass, And he is not an actual greaser, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Asgardian Magic Stuff, Ballerina, Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Blood, Blood/Violence Mentioned, Christmas, Comfort, Comic Book Science, Concert, Dancing, Dancing/Ballet, Drinking Games, Fluff, Foot rubs, For the record I love Loki xD, Hurt, Hurt Peter, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, I promise I do love him, Injury, Iron Man Armour - Freeform, Jealous Tony, Leg massages, METAL ARM, Masturbation, Mild Medical Procedure, Minor Hurt, Movie Nights, Music/Not Quite A Song Fic?, Mutual Pining, My Love for Panic! At The Disco, Needles, Peter is adorable and a good friend, Pool, Poor Tony, Press Conference, Prosthetics Development Mentioned/Centered, Recovery, Sad Julie, Sad Tony, Sass, Slightly Older Tony...he's nearing forty, Stark Intern, Steve Rogers is a little shit, Sunshine and Sunscreen, Swearing/Potty Mouths, Team is a Family, There will be angst with a happy ending eventually, Tremors Movies, We Also Love Steve and Bucky, Workshop/Lab Setting, Wound Cleaning, Yoga, beach, because i love them, even though they're useless and don't keep my feet dry, head scritches, it will get better, meddling avengers, medical description, mentions of depression, sad team, slightly graphic depictions of injury, uggs, we love Tony Stark, younger woman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:33:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 178,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Layora88/pseuds/Layora88
Summary: Meet Julie, an SI Intern that Tony takes a liking to instantly and swoops under his wing. This is their story, one filled with pining and fluff and lots of hurt/comfort to come and I promise there will be smut, it just might take a while to get to. They’re boss/employee relationship is taking its toll on both of them, but they’re determined to just be friends and admire each other from a far...for a while.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> I will update tags as I upload more chapters. This story is maybe a little less than half done and I’m editing and still trying to write the other half, xP. But I’m trying and I wanted to sort of get a feel for whether this might be something that people would enjoy or not. Either way I want to write it, haha. So I hope you enjoy, please feel free to leave me comments and kudos if you like it. <3 I love hearing from people who enjoy similar things. ^^

She blinked once, twice, three times, and then promptly flushed the approximate colour of a goddamntomato as she came face to face with one Steven Grant Rogers; otherwise known as Captain fucking America. And yes, she thought the curse was well deserved. She reached up to knock her headphones from her ears and let them fall around her neck, still rather stunned and definitely feeling all kinds of awkward as she shifted to give him more space to join her inside the elevator. He really was bigger than she pictured and she wasn’t positive she hadn’t started drooling with the sheer amount of muscles the guy had underneath that obscenely tight t-shirt.

He ducked his head almost shyly in greeting as he stepped inside and stood pretty well towering over-well, next to her-and she couldn’t help the word vomit from escaping her any longer. “Doughnut?” She blurted, her eyes still wider than she thought was probably endearing and thrust the small box of baked goods settled atop of the two cups of coffee towards him in offering.

Captain fucking America smiled sheepishly at her, giving the box an admiring glance and noting that it was from one of the Team’s favourite bakeries a couple blocks away and met her wide-eyed stare once again. “Uh, thank you. But I’m pretty sure those aren’t meant for me and I’d hate to steal your breakfast,” He admitted, a soft chuckle escaping him.

“Oh, these aren’t for me,” She rushed to assure him. “Well, one of the coffees is, but the doughnuts aren’t. I love sweets, but you know how it is, ‘a minute on the lips, forever on the hips’,” She laughed and inwardly grimaced when it came out sounding a tad more manic than she would have liked and then cut her laughter short when Captain fucking America gave her a quick once-over.

And now she was pretty sure her face was positively on fire and she forced another laugh-hoping it was slightly less manic sounding this time-to clear the air, maybe try and make the situation somehow less awkward…for her. But he was still smiling at her, albeit looking at her like she maybe had two heads, but now his head was tipped to the right and he really did look like the golden retriever puppy all the girls in her classes claimed he resembled. She blinked again and realized that she was still in fact staring and her embarrassment only intensified as he let out a chuckle and murmured, “I really don’t think you need to worry about that, Miss.”

She was going to die of embarrassment, she was sure of it, because she was pretty sure that had been a compliment. That Captain fucking America had just complimented her and was he flirting? No, that can’t be right.Right? Her brain laughed hysterically. But what did she do? She could only continue to stare at him in open-mouthed shock and she knew her entire body was flushed, right down to her toes that were curled in her ratty black converse and she oh so desperately wished she had actually put some effort into her appearance today. Maybe if she had known that she was going to meet the epitome of human perfection first thing on a Monday morning, she’d have put some makeup on or maybe actually brushed her hair and not worn her grubbies.

Oh well, hindsight would have been a wonderful thing.

She swallowed past the lump that had lodged itself in her throat and he seemed to realize that her brain had most likely short-circuited somewhere in the interim and spared her any more embarrassment as he turned to glance towards the floor numbers on the wall-panel. His eyebrows furrowed, however, when he saw which floor she was destined for and before he could open his mouth to ask her about it, the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid smoothly open in front of them.

And there stood Tony Stark with a tired smile on his face that was quickly morphing into one of surprise as he got a proper look at the pair. “Uh, good morning,” He greeted cheerily, his voice a tad rough first thing as he took quick note of the young woman’s rather flustered appearance, absolutely glorious blush and all.

“Morning, Mr. Stark,” The young woman practically heaved, obviously feeling a touch panicked as she thrust the tray of coffee and box of doughnuts into his personal space.

Tony glanced down at the outstretched offering and grimaced only a little bit…and then verytentatively took them from her outstretched-patiently waiting-hands. Steve’s eyebrows shot up so fast, practically disappearing into his hairline at that and Tony tried his damned hardest to ignore the startled look his friend was giving him as the young woman breezed past him and into his workshop and Steve wondered if she did this all the time. Maybe she did? He really had no idea who she was at this point, but he sure as hell wanted to find out more about her.

The genius motioned as best he could with his hands full of coffee and treats for Steve to come on in as well and the blonde had to do his absolute best to pick his jaw up off the floor as he followed the pair into Tony’s private workshop.

Tony cleared his throat, glancing towards Steve and then to the woman as she dropped her book bag on one of the work benches. “I see you’ve met the Captain,” He said, raising an eyebrow as he caught first her eye and then Steve’s.

She smiled nervously, glancing towards the aforementioned Captain and nodded. “I did,” She agreed, swallowing hard as she tried to think of something else more appropriate to say.

“And?” Tony inquired after a beat, a hint of teasing colouring his voice as he fought down a wicked grin.

Her cheeks flushed, her blush returning nearly full-force after it had finally managed to calm some. “H-he’s very nice. You know, very Captainy,” She practically spluttered, and wow, could she be any more pathetic? [And yes the Chandler voice is necessary.]

Tony let the shit-eating-grin take over then and Steve burst out laughing. “Tony-“ He admonished, fighting his own beautiful smile as his cheeks pinked and he glanced between his friend and the young woman.

Tony laughed, shaking his head as he set down the coffee and doughnuts on his desk, looking pointedly at the woman as she turned to walk back towards him. “Are you done fan-girling or do you need a minute to continue to bask in his Captainy-goodness?” He said teasingly.

The woman rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath as she glanced towards the Captain. “Just for that, you should definitely eat one of his doughnuts. He likes the chocolate dippy one with the slivered almonds the best,” She mumbled before picking up one of the coffee cups from beside Tony and making her way back to her workstation.

Steve smirked, casting a quick look Tony’s way when the genius chuckled and turned to snatch up his own cup of coffee. “Well, aren’t you just a bundle of sunshine this morning, my dear,” He teased, taking a sip of the liquid gold, barely able to suppress a moan as he did so.

She scoffed, her back now to the both of them as she took a seat on one of the rolling-stools. But then she spun around to face them, obviously annoyed by the comment. “Maybe if someone didn’t feel the need to have his personal A.I. relay all of his midnight ramblings to me about this bloody project at two o-clock in the fucking morning, I’d be in a better mood!” She snapped, glowering at the genius in annoyance.

She quickly seemed to change gears, however, and glanced up at the ceiling. “Speaking of which, J-dawg…baby-“ She sighed. “Texts, buddy. Remember? Any time Mr. Stark decides he thinks it’s a good idea to wake me up with his nonsensical science mutterings, you’re to paraphrase and send it via text.”

There was a very put upon sigh from around them then and Steve wondered when Jarvis had started doing that. It was a little disconcerting to say the least. “You’re right, Miss. I am terribly sorry, but you know how Sir can be and he did insist I wake you,” Jarvis said, sounding for all the world as if he were sincerely sorry and very put out by the whole ordeal.

The young woman sighed deeply and nodded. “No, no, you’re right. I do know what he’s like,” She agreed, glancing over at the genius in question pointedly before turning back around on her stool.

Tony blinked at her over the lid of his coffee cup. “Oh my God-“ Steve said under his breath; his only thought being, who is this woman and how do I get her involved in our every day lives to help teach the rest of the Team how to deal with Tony and maybe somehow get Jarvis on our side, if at all possible. He wasn’t even aware that Jarvis could be on anyone else’s side but Tony’s.

Tony’s eyes narrowed as he looked to the woman suspiciously. “Okay, first off-J-dawg?” He sassed. “You are like, the whitest white girl that ever there lived and secondly-Jarvis, mybaby-don’t make me reprogram you. You’re supposed to be on my side,” He whined petulantly, fighting back an awful pout.

The woman rolled her eyes, spinning around on her stool to fix the genius with a very annoyed expression. Steve thought it was fucking adorably hilarious. He really wished someone else was there to witness this sass with him because he wasn’t sure this was actually real. “My apologies, Sir,” Jarvis intoned, somehow managing not to sound sorry in the slightest.

Tony chose to ignore him instead, fighting back the urge to roll his eyes at the ceiling. Steve shook his head incredulously at the pair. He considered looking around to see if he’d somehow walked through a portal and into another dimension, because, what the hell was happening?

“The whitest white girl?Really, Stark? That the best you got?” She sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose in obvious annoyance, but there was a bit of a smile tugging at the edges of her lips so Steve assumed Tony wasn’t that far off the mark.

Tony scowled at her, shaking his head as he sat down on the edge of his workbench. “You know what, Pips? It’s too early for this,” He said in feigned annoyance, glancing over at Steve who was subtly reaching for the box of treats by his side.

He quickly smacked the blonde’s hand away and Steve rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, folding his arms across the front of his chest. “Also, you totally just swore in front of Captain America,” Tony pointed out nonchalantly, flicking open the bakery box and pulling out the aforementioned chocolate and almond doughnut.

And it was comical, really, the way the young woman’s eyes widened and all the colour seemed to drain from her face as she looked from Tony to Steve. “Holy hell-I mean-godda-“ She babbled in an awful attempt to apologize, but was obviously failing miserably at keeping her potty-mouth under any sort of control.

She smacked a hand to her suddenly burning face and covered her mouth to keep herself from saying anything more incriminating. Tony cackled gleefully from his spot and Steve couldn’t help grinning as he raised a hand to dismiss whatever she was attempting to say. “Really, it’s fine, Miss,” He assured, a chuckle escaping him as he glanced towards Tony. “Tony’s just teasing you, he knows I’ve got a potty-mouth of my own.”

The woman’s eyes widened and she lowered her hand, as if hearing Captain America admit to that was just preposterous. She laughed weakly. “Yeah, right. Captain fucking America has a potty mouth,” She said incredulously and then promptly slapped a hand over her mouth once again.

Apparently her word vomit was still a thing. Now Steve was giving her a lopsided grin and arching an eyebrow at her curiously. His expression quickly turned challenging, however, and then he muttered, “Shit, fuck, goddamn, Jesus Christ.”

The silence that followed was positively deafening and then Tony was suddenly doubled over with laughter, practically wheezing with it. Steve grinned when he got a look at the woman’s scandalized expression, seemingly only capable of blinking dazedly at him. “Jesus Christ, Steve. I think you broke her,” Tony managed to get out between bouts of his gleeful laughter.

Steve smirked as he watched the colour slowly settle in the woman’s cheeks and he shrugged, his smirk morphing into a bashful smile. “I was in the army, I don't know why everyone assumes I’m a patron saint.”

The young woman managed to push out a surprised laugh as she shook her head in disbelief. “Sorry for the assumption,” She apologized. “I should know better than to assume anything-I just-“

“He’s Captain America,” Tony interrupted. “We get it.”

Steve shrugged, rolling his eyes a bit. “Not wearing the suit at the moment, so I’m just Steve Rogers right now. But please feel free to call me, Captain fucking America, any time,” He said with a wink in her direction, his nose scrunching up adorably as he looked to her.

She blinked in surprise and there her brain went again in the short-circuiting department. “Oh dear God-“ Tony muttered. “Would you stop it? I actually need her to be productive today, you’re going to be a huge distraction if you keep it up. I’m pretty sure you’ve just destroyed all of her childhood notions of you.”

Steve laughed, like, really laughed and gave her what she would later coin as the Steve Rogers sunshine-rainbows-butterflies-and-all-other-amazingly-wonderful-worldly-and-other-worldly-things, smile. She smiled back, almost shyly, before she jerked her thumb over her shoulder towards her workstation. “Uh yeah, I should actually get to work,” She blurted, quickly spinning around on her stool and picking up the book bag she’d dropped.

Steve laughed lightly, shaking his head as he glanced back towards Tony who was still smirking at the woman as she pulled her headphones on over her ears. “I’ll just be over here, working and not questioning my childhood notions of Captain America at all or anything and instead listening to music on my iPod,” She went on a moment later.

Tony groaned loudly, running a hand through his already wildly mussed up hair. “For the billionth time! Get rid of that god-awful Apple product and let me give you one of mine!”

She grinned, shaking her head as she pulled her iPod out of her grubby jeans pocket and started to slide her thumb around the wheel to increase the volume. “Sorry!? What was that?! I can’t hear you over all this incredible music coming out of this amazing iPod Classic that I just love ever so much!”

Steve grinned, gesturing towards her as her music clearly drowned them both out. It was obvious they’d had this particular conversation before and she knew just how to push Tony’s buttons. “She’s fun. She your new assistant?” He asked curiously, reaching to pick up one of the doughnuts that looked like it was smothered in vanilla frosting with a fresh strawberry sitting atop it.

Tony batted his hand away from it, scowling all the while and instead gestured towards one of the other doughnuts in the box that was covered in chocolate and hazelnut bits. “Eat that one, Julie likes the strawberry vanilla one and no, she’s not my assistant and don’t ever let her hear you call her that. She’ll probably eat your face. She’s my intern,” Tony said casually, giving him a shrug as he pushed himself from his desk to flop down onto a proper stool.

Steve blinked, shaking his head as he picked up the hazelnut doughnut. “Your intern,” He said flatly, casting her a curious glance as she started pulling out books and papers and a tablet from her bag and soon she was talking to Jarvis and asking him to pull up specs for something.

“Mhm,” Tony mumbled through a bite of his treat.

“But don’t interns typically work in the R&D department and not in your private lab?” Steve asked with a raised eyebrow, daring Tony to try and tell him otherwise.

If Tony had an intern in his private workspace, she was definitely special. He wasn’t going to get out of this one easy. Tony licked a spot of chocolate off his thumb and glanced over at her again before swallowing. “Well, she’s special,” He admitted after a long moment.

Steve’s lips twitched, the fact that he’d been able to get this far in his interrogation surprising him. “That so?”

Tony rolled his eyes as he picked up his coffee again and took another sip. “She’s an engineer, specializes in biomechanics and a slew of other stuff too. She’s helping me work on a few projects. I sort of took her on as a personal intern when she showed some serious promise in R&D with prosthetic development. We’re working on a few things together and-“ He cleared his throat. “You know, it’s just easier with her living at home base and sharing lab space with me instead of always having to relay ideas through inter-departmental mail or something as equally banal,” He sighed, waving a hand dismissively and burying his face in his coffee cup once again.

Steve’s smirk was gone and was replaced with open-mouthed surprise as he looked towards the young woman. “Huh.”

Tony glanced up at him over the rim of his cup, quirking a brow curiously. “Definitely special,” Steve agreed in a quiet murmur.

Tony blinked, tilting his head at his friend as he nodded slowly in agreement. “I’ve not seen her here before. How long has she been interning for you?” Steve prompted gently.

Tony shrugged. “She was brought on to SI about five months ago and I took over with her a little over four. She’s scary intelligent, like, I’m actually not entirely sure she’s human. It’s sort of disgusting how fast she is with her calculations and shit,” He muttered in what Steve thought might be jealousy, but he knew better; it was admiration.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head in amusement. “What? Didn’t believe that there were any others out there that could rival the great Tony Stark?” He teased playfully.

Tony scoffed, trying and failing to hide his grin behind his cup of coffee. “Didn’t say she was that smart.”

Steve smiled, letting out a sigh. “So, her name’s Julie? Why’d you call her Pips?”

Tony grinned wryly as he glanced over at the woman in question. “She’s tiny and you know how much I like to tease. It’s short for Pipsqueak.”

Steve was suddenly all serious as he scowled dangerously at his friend. “Tony-“

“Hang on-hang on-“ Tony rushed to assure, holding up a hand to him. “She’s petite, I’m not calling her weak or anything like that. It was a joke, I was only teasing her and she knows that. I swear, she’s plenty fine with the nickname and it’s sort of become a thing. We just, I dunno, tease each other. She’s got a list of names a mile long for me, I just know it. Can’t damn well get her to call me anything but a curse or Mr. Stark though,” He muttered in annoyance. “But you know how it is. Name calling happens amongst friends, Spangles,” He said pointedly.

Steve relaxed some, glancing back towards the young woman who was now humming along to whatever music she’d been listening to as she manipulated holograms on the floating screens before her. Tony was right, she was very petite. She couldn’t be more than 5”6 and she looked rather slim. She was wearing a pair of ratty dark blue jeans and a baggy sweatshirt though, so he couldn’t be too sure.

Steve cleared his throat, conceding the point for the moment. “You said she lives here at the Compound?”

Tony nodded, a half-yawn escaping him as he set his now empty cup of coffee down on the desk beside him. “Yeah, she was living in student housing not far from SI and when we moved here last month, she came along too. The commute would have been just ridiculous, so I had her moved in and now she spends three or four days a week working with me here in the lab.”

Steve calmly looked at his friend, head tilted as he observed him just a bit closer. He looked tired, sure, but when didn’t Tony look tired? He was notorious for late night creative binges and rarely remembered to eat let alone sleep half the time. Hence Steve feeling the need to check up on him whenever he could remember to do so. But he looked different somehow and Steve wondered why he hadn’t noticed it sooner. He looked calmer, more relaxed. Dare he think it? Happy?

He blinked, still watching his friend with a calculated intensity that Tony seemed to cotton on to almost instantly. And there it was, that careful mask the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist had worked on for years, sliding into place once again. Steve forced himself to look away at the last two doughnuts in the box. There was still the vanilla strawberry one for Julie, but there was also another one of the chocolate almond ones; the one she had told him Tony liked best.

He smiled, trying not to let on to where his mind had taken him, aware he’d probably failed and simply shrugged instead. “She seems really nice, Tony. She also seems like she can hold her own against you, which pretty well makes her someone I’d like to get to know better,” He admitted. “Maybe you should invite her to one of our movie nights? You know, that way we can all get some pointers on how to achieve her level of sass.”

Tony laughed, but it sounded off, almost guarded and Steve knew he’d read this right. His smile turned a tad feral as he fixed the genius with a very pointed look as his friend clearly tried to formulate a come back. “Y-you know what? I don’t think that’s a good idea. Besides, she’s always busy, like, super busy. If she isn't here in the lab, she’s sleeping or outside the Compound. Pretty sure she has one of those things called a life, you know, where she actually goes and does stuff that involves people and I’m sure she wouldn’t have time for that,” Tony rushed to explain.

Steve quirked a brow at his friend and smiled knowingly. “Have you asked her?”

“No,” Tony blurted, a little too quickly as he glanced towards the woman in question.

She suddenly spun herself over towards one of the other workstations and picked up a tablet and stylus, muttering to Jarvis under her breath as she went. Steve bit his lower lip before glancing over at the young woman as well. She seemed to realize that she had eyes on her though and as she spun back around, she managed to catch Steve’s gaze. She tipped her head curiously as she reached up and knocked her headphones down.

“I hope you’ve not been trying to talk to me this whole time. I’d feel really shitty if you’ve both been trying to get my attention or something,” She admitted, a huff of laughter escaping her.

Steve shook his head. “No, no, you’re fine. I was just actually talking to Tony about our weekly movie night plans. See, the Team likes to get together for a bonding night. Mostly we just eat junk food and watch two or three movies or play video games together and Tony was just suggesting that he might like to invite you to our next one,” He said casually, smiling so wonderfully sweet as he then followed Julie’s steadily widening gaze towards Tony who looked like a deer caught in the world’s brightest set of headlights.

“Really?” She asked timidly, but the hopefulness was most definitely there, along with a shit-ton of surprise and incredulity.

Tony nearly jerked forwards out of his stool with the sudden twitchy nod he gave her. “Yeah!” He blurted. “I mean, why not? It’d be fun, I’m sure you’d have a great time and the Team would love you. You’re just like me and let’s face it, everybody loves me,” He rambled.

Julie’s lips tipped up in a very shy smile that Steve thought was so endearing and he fought to stifle the stupid grin that wanted to spread as he clapped his hands and nodded. “Perfect! We’re getting together this Friday night at 7. Think you can make it?”

She blinked, smiling more surely, but then it faltered. “Oh, I actually have class until 7:30. Would it be okay if I got there a bit late? I’d be able to make it for 8, it’s not far from here.”

Steve smiled, nodding. “Of course that’d be okay. We’ll see you at 8.”

She nodded, glancing between the two men as she bit her lower lip nervously, but then Steve was reaching out and squeezing Tony’s shoulder, fixing him with a look. And Tony was so, so screwed. “Great, I’ll see you both later,” He announced, hand slipping from Tony’s shoulder as he headed off towards the elevator.

Tony’s eyes narrowed as he looked after his friend. “Hey, Steve? What did you come down here for anyway?”

Steve smiled, glancing over his shoulder at the genius. “Just wanted to make sure you ate breakfast, Shellhead,” He said with a wink, casting the young woman one last lingering look. “It was nice to meet you, Julie. See you Friday.”

She bit her lower lip, her cheeks heating wonderfully. “It was nice to meet you too, Captain.”

The blonde chuckled, shaking his head at her as he ducked into the elevator. “Just Steve is fine. Bye for now.”

As soon as the elevator doors slid shut and the car started its ascent, the silence began to weigh heavily on the two of them…until Tony couldn’t take it any longer and cleared his throat. “So, you going to keep daydreaming about Captain America or are you going to actually do some work sometime today?”

And just like that, they were back to normal. “Oh, would you knock it off. Yeah, okay, fine. He’s gorgeous and flawless and looks like a goddamn golden retriever puppy, but I’m pretty sure he’s spoken for. So yes, I’ll get back to work, as soon as you go and get some sleep. Because you look like shit and you and I both know that one cup of coffee isn’t going to keep you going for very long after your weekend creating bender. So why don’t you head up, crash and then have a bloody shower because you stink.”

Tony grinned, shaking his head at her. But really, she was right, he was tired and she’d be fine working away on her own down here if he disappeared for a few hours to catch some shuteye. And he did stink. He agreed with her one-hundred and twelve percent on that one. “Why do ya’ gotta be so mean?” He groaned, pouting adorably as he picked up his personal tablet and poked at it a few times. “I’ll head up and be back by lunch. Don’t burn down the lab or nothin’,” He warned.

She laughed, shaking her head at him. “Don’t worry, Dum-E’s on standby with the fire-extinguisher, aren’t you, buddy?”

And sure enough, the bot beeped happily and rolled towards her from its charging station in the corner of the room, fire-extinguisher in…claw. Tony scowled, pointing at him and then back to his charging cradle. The bot rolled back into place, albeit, somewhat reluctantly. “Traitors, the lot of you, I swear,” He lamented, shaking his head.

Julie pursed her lips, fighting back a way too fond smile. “See you later, Mr. Stark.”

“Yeah, yeah,” He sighed, heading towards the elevator as he waved her off.

Just as he got there, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at her curiously. “Oh, question.”

“Hmm?” She asked absently, already having turned back to her work.

“What class do you have on Friday? I thought you’d finished up all your courses and you were just working here? I mean, I know we haven’t really talked about it yet, but I’d like to hire you on full-time when this portfolio is finished,” He confessed.

Julie stilled, her hand cradling the tablet while her other held the stylus, poised above the screen. “That’s…we can definitely talk about that another time, Mr. Stark. I’m plenty happy being your intern…and the class isn’t exactly work related. I teach dance classes at a nearby studio.”

Tony’s brows furrowed curiously. “A dance class?” He asked in surprise.

She seemed to stiffen slightly in her seat, but then she was turning to look at him and he realized that he’d never seen her give him a look quite like this one before. She looked on the verge of snapping at him or bolting from her seat. She looked nervous and uncomfortable and almost standoffish. He blinked, taking a slow breath when he realized he’d have to tread carefully from here on out.

“Yes,” She said, her voice careful, measured. “I teach and practice ballet.”

Tony’s head spun for a moment and he swallowed thickly as he forced himself to nod and give her a reassuring smile. “Wow, that’s…impressive,” He said honestly. “I-I used to go to the ballet with my mum when I was younger a lot. She loved the ballet, we always thought it was a beautiful art form.”

She stared at him, her expression unwavering for a moment as she tried to get a read on him, but then her gaze softened and her entire body seemed to visibly relax. She gave him a reassuring smile in return, one that turned the pit of his stomach to mush. “Thank you,” She said quietly. “I always thought so as well.”

Tony nodded, glancing back towards the elevator. “I’ll uh, see you after lunch then.”

She nodded, watching as he stepped into the elevator. “Don’t forget to shower!” She called after him, the doors sliding shut and the sound of his light laughter reaching her ears for only a moment before he disappeared from sight.


	2. Two

“Huh,” Tony muttered, head tilted slightly in confusion as he stared down at his tablet.

He’d read and re-read the same line of code for the last however long and realized that he was far too distracted to accomplish much of anything at the moment. He shook his head, blinking away the odd stupor he’d been in and locked the device. He glanced up and found himself walking down one of the communal floor’s hallways towards the kitchen and wondered when he’d managed to get all the way up here.

He scratched the back of his head a bit and tried to clear the fog from his brain. “Tony?” Came Bucky’s curious murmur as he popped his head out from the kitchen’s doorway.

He blinked, taking a deep breath before putting on a smile. “Hey, Buckaroo. What’s up?”

Bucky gave him a careful look. “I was going to ask you the same question. Everything okay? You looked a little spacey there.”

Tony shrugged and headed towards the archway, slipping past him and into the kitchen. Bucky followed. “Guess I was a bit distracted,” Tony said absently, flicking on the coffee maker next to the fridge.

Bucky’s eyes narrowed as he observed his friend. “What’s got you distracted? You’re not having trouble on the new design, are you? Because you know I’m not in any sort of hurry, Tony, right? I don’t need that new arm any time soon and I mean, if it’s seriously making you make that face, then I don’t think I want you stressing out over it so much-and-why are you making that face at me?”

Tony stared at him in disbelief but then quickly shook his head, setting his tablet down on the kitchen island. “No, no, it’s not the arm. Sorry, I’m not all there today.”

Bucky’s shoulders visibly relaxed and he breathed a soft sigh of relief. “Okay…then what’s bothering you?”

Tony shrugged, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leaned back against the kitchen counter, waiting on the coffee maker to finish doing its thing. He took a deep breath and for a moment, Bucky thought he was at a loss for words, which would have been a first. “You ever just-“ He huffed, shaking his head. “You know when-okay-so pretend you have this friend and like-no, that’s not right either-“ Tony started to ramble and all the while, Bucky’s eyebrows climbed higher and higher.

He hadn’t heard Tony ramble on this nonsensically in quite some time. This ought to be good, he thought, blinking as he made himself comfortable on one of the kitchen’s stools. Tony pushed out a rough breath and dropped his arms before gesturing widely to nothing in particular. “My intern-“ He said on a heavy exhale and just like that, all the puzzle pieces slotted into place for Bucky.

He barked out a surprised laugh and Tony’s hackles were immediately on the rise. He glowered. “What?” He said defensively.

Bucky quickly put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, even going so far as to duck his head placatingly. “Julie, right? The girl you’ve been working with for a few months now?”

Tony searched his face and then instantly gave in when Bucky just gave him a reassuring smile, his eyes soft, kind. People really needed to see more of this side of James Buchanan Barnes, because he was a giant teddy-bear…you know, when he wasn’t a scary murder-strutting assassin. Tony blinked. “Yeah…I guess Steve told you about her?”

Bucky nodded, keeping a careful eye on his friend. “He mentioned her, yeah. Said you’d invited her to movie night tonight and that she seemed nice. I’m also pretty sure she’s the one you’ve been not so subtly talking about during all our late night coffee chats,” He said casually, giving his friend a lopsided smile.

Tony’s jaw ticked and Bucky held his gaze. “She might be the one,” He muttered quietly, thinking back to the few times he’d stumbled up from the workshop in the dead of night only to find Bucky sitting at the kitchen table cradling his own mug of the liquid gold.

They’d talked, like...actually talked about things and people and just life. Tony liked those talks, but he’d been careful, thought he’d been careful. But apparently he’d said enough about Julie to have allowed his friend to have put two and two together so quickly.

Bucky nodded, sitting back a bit on the stool. “So, what about her?” He asked, drawing Tony back into the present.

Tony’s eyes had narrowed in suspicion but when all Bucky did was look at him, patiently waiting for him to continue, he caved; he really needed a friend right now. “She told me something about herself and I was really surprised by the information and I don’t think I’m handling it so well and it’s become-“

“Distracting,” Bucky oh so helpfully filled in for him.

“Exactly,” Tony sighed, reaching up and scrubbing a hand down his face.

Bucky smiled at him in sympathy, watching as the coffee maker dinged and the genius hastily turned to pour himself a cup. “What did she tell you?”

Tony glanced over his shoulder at him, pouting as he finished pouring some milk and sugar into his mug before turning around with his coffee cradled carefully in his hands, filled right to the brim. He inhaled the scent of it deeply and shook his head. “She told me she teaches a dance class.”

Bucky’s brows furrowed. “Okay…” He said slowly, waiting for him to continue.

Tony stared at him and Bucky stared back, looking very confused about how this piece of information had managed to affect him so incredibly. When Bucky made no further attempt to ask what of it and Tony just continued to stare at him incredulously, Bucky was forced to gesture with his hand-not the metal one, Tony could be very easily distracted by shiny things, wouldn’t you know it-to get Tony to continue speaking.

“Okay?” Tony hissed. “This is definitely not okay!”

Bucky raised a skeptical brow. “How is her teaching a dance class not okay?”

Tony groaned loudly, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “She’s my intern, a scientist, she’s a biomechanicalengineer and just so goddamnintelligent and on top of all that wonderful stuff, she’s also a bloody ballerina!”

And now Bucky was catching on, a slow and teasing smile spreading. “Ah, now I see your problem. Not only is she amazingly smart, she’s also talented in a way you hadn’t seen coming and I bet she’s beautiful too. Steve did say she was pretty and that she stood her own in the sass department when dealing with you.”

“Hey-“ Tony said indignantly and Bucky chuckled, shaking his head.

“Come on, Stark. What’s really going on here?” Bucky demanded with an exasperated sigh.

Tony frowned, looking down into his mug of steaming coffee, seeming to get lost in it for a long moment or two. “I didn’t want to care about her,” He admitted in nothing more than a hushed murmur after a moment of silence had passed. “She was just supposed to be an intern. She showed a lot of potential, so I jumped all over that and then we started getting along and she doesn’t put up with my shit, you know? And she’s good at what she does-wants to help people and make a difference-and she’s sofocused and dedicated to her work and just-I like spending time with her and then she told me that she teaches a ballet class and my brain just went-whoop-out the goddamn window!” He very nearly cried.

“And now I can’t stop thinking about all the times I went to the ballet with my Mum and admired the ballerinas and every day this week that I’ve worked with her-which, by the way, was every day-I couldn’t stop thinking about her dancing and performing all those incredible ballet’s I’d seen. Every time I look at her, I try and picture her in motion and for a split second I think I can see it and then it’s gone-poof-just like that! And I want to be a nosy bastard and see if she’s got Instagram or a-a-YouTube channel or something equally as ridiculous, just so I can convince myself that she wouldn’t be perfect at that too!”

“And I mean, it does make perfect sense. Because she’s so fluid in all of her movements, so seamless and precise and I see it in the way she moves around the lab and stuff, but I still just can’t picture her really dancing because she’s always wearing baggy grungy clothes because we tend to get dirty in the workshop and no I don’t mean like that,” He muttered, shaking his head as he glanced towards Bucky who was currently biting the inside of his cheek so hard he thought it might start bleeding.

Bucky remained silent, struggling with the effort, Tony knew, but he remained blissfully silent nevertheless. “And Steve made me invite her to movie night because I know he saw that maybe I sort of cared for her or something equally as sappy, but now I’m bloody terrified because she’s going to show up in a little over an hour and meet the rest of the Team and they’re going to play twenty-questions and she’s probably going to have a heart-attack and I sort of actually need her to not die because she’s definitely heading the whole metal arm design for you right now and she maybe doesn’t know it yet. She still thinks it’s for the prosthetics portfolio we’re building and it is-sorta-but she’ll figure it out soon enough without me opening my big mouth and she’ll probably blow up at me or something, but it’ll be worth it, because then I can surprise her with the whole having her take over the prosthetics division of SI because I think this would be incredible for her and please feel free to stop me any time because I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass out if I don’t stop talking now-“ He practically heaved, setting his mug down and leaning heavily against the kitchen island to catch his breath.

Bucky stared, watching him patiently for another moment before calmly pushing out a breath of his own. “Are you done now?”

Tony glanced up at him, his hands still braced against the counter top as he sucked in a much needed breath. He nodded once. “Good,” Bucky said, a soft smile playing at the edge of his lips. “Can I say my part now?”

Tony blew out yet another breath and nodded once again. Bucky’s smile grew a little more confident as he rest both of his hands neatly in his lap. “You didn’t want to care about her,” He said simply.

Tony frowned, standing up a bit straighter. “Out of all that, that’s what you chose to lead with?”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Yes, Tony. Because I think that’s probably the most important thing you’ve said in all of that.”

“But why?” Tony blurted, brows knitting together in confusion.

Bucky’s gaze softened. “Tell me why you didn’t want to care for her.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed for a split second before he was suddenly twisting away, scooping up his mug hastily as he fled the kitchen. “Good talk! I feel much better, not distracted in the least bit any more! Thanks Buckaroo, really appreciated your help on that one!” He called over his shoulder.

Bucky groaned, desperately wanting to bash his head against the kitchen counter but instead forced himself to get up and head after the idiot before he disappeared off to wherever he was trying to escape to. “Hang on-“

Tony ignored him, practically speed-walking towards the elevators. “No, all good soldier! I’ll see you at dinner later, gotta’ go and tidy-up the workshop for a bit before then though!”

Bucky rolled his eyes, hot on his heels but just as they rounded the corner towards the elevator, the doors slid open and out strolled Steve, Bruce, Natasha, Peter and Clint, all carrying take out bags full of food. “Uh, hey guys,” Clint said in surprise, having nearly run right into Tony.

Tony harrumphed and tried to look for a way into the elevator that didn’t involve squeezing past them all and he almost succeeded until Bucky’s hands, one flesh and the other metal, clasped his biceps as he came up behind him; effectively stilling him.

“Hey,” Bucky said happily. “Look at that, Tony. You were right, it’s Chinese food.”

Tony glanced over his shoulder at the brunette and Bucky smiled and when his hands slipped from his arms and reached out to take the bags from Natasha and Bruce, Tony realized that he’d just been given an out for the time being and that it was probably mostly safe to go back into the kitchen. Bucky wouldn’t reveal their conversation to the rest of the Team, he wasn’t really a dick, despite what Clint said after every Mario-Kart race they’d ever played together.

“Sure,” Tony mumbled, turning on his heel.

Bucky continued to smile and they both pointedly ignored Steve, Natasha and Bruce’s raised eyebrows. Peter was oblivious, as was Clint-go figure-and soon they were all setting up themselves with their plates of food at the kitchen island and getting comfortable at the table. It wasn’t until Steve tipped his head towards Bucky and gave him a soft smile, that he decided to ease his lover. “Everything’s fine, Stevie. Don’t worry, Tony and I were just having a chat and he was running away from his feelings.”

Steve chuckled under his breath, casting a quick glance in Tony’s direction. He was busy listening to Peter chattering on about something and Steve shook his head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Bucky smiled, turning and placing a kiss against the blonde’s cheek. “He may be a genius, but you know what he’s like.”

Steve nodded, turning and placing a kiss of his own against Bucky’s cheek. He did know what Tony could be like and he knew Bucky would try and talk it through with their friend at some point, so they continued on with their meal. Soon they were all tidying up their dishes and clearing away the empty containers, putting the rest in the fridge for whoever was lucky enough to get to the leftovers first.

Bucky managed to sneak up next to Tony as he busied himself at the coffee maker once again. “Hey,” He whispered, gently nudging the smaller man with his hip.

Tony glanced up at him nervously. “What’s up?”

Bucky gave him a reassuring smile and held his gaze. “Whatever answer to that question you had gotten in your head earlier, please know that you’re wrong. Your response wouldn’t have been right, or warranted. Okay?”

Tony swallowed hard and Bucky knew that he’d gotten it right. Watching the way Tony’s eyes widened ever so slightly and his breath seemed to stutter in his chest, he knew Tony had been beating himself up over whatever this was. Because it was most likely something he’d been spending a lot of time dwelling on and it was definitely unwarranted.

So Bucky just smiled, reaching up and giving Tony’s shoulder a gentle squeeze with his metal hand. Tony visibly relaxed, his gaze flickering towards the metal and the sound of the plates shifting seemed to ease some of the tension from around his eyes. “Thanks,” He croaked and Bucky nodded, letting his hand slip from his shoulder.

“Don’t mention it,” Bucky murmured, already heading towards the living room where the others had headed off to.

The group made themselves comfortable, Peter and Clint disappearing to make popcorn and gather a few extra bowls of chips. Tony and Natasha poured pop, water and juice for everyone at the bar and handed them out and soon they were all draped across their usual spots; with the exception of Tony, who was still loitering around behind the bar.

He was just sipping from his glass, observing his teammates-his friends-and wondering how it all turned out like this. Because he was pretty sure this was going to be one of the worst nights of his life if he wasn’t careful. He took another sip from his glass and glanced down at it as if it had offended him. He really did wish he could have spiked it, even just a bit to help him get through the evening. But it couldn’t go too horribly…right?

“Hey, isn’t it Jane’s turn to pick tonight? Where are the girls anyway?” Clint asked, shifting in his spot at Natasha’s side.

“Thor said he was taking Jane, Darcy and Wanda out shopping for the day. I’m pretty sure they’re on their way back, but they said not to wait for them,” Steve told him, snuggling up against Bucky’s side.

The brunette smiled, draping his arm around his shoulders and drawing him closer. “Ah, okay. Well, maybe Julie might like to pick a movie for tonight?” Clint asked curiously, glancing towards Tony.

Tony cleared his throat slightly, looking towards the clock on the wall. It was just on 7:45. “She said she’d be here by 8, so if you guys are willing to wait, I’m sure she’d like that.”

They all nodded or murmured their agreement and then Peter piped up. “Who’s Julie?”

“Stark’s intern,” Natasha filled in.

Peter’s eyes widened. “Like, a superhero intern?” He asked excitedly.

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. “No, just an intern. She’s helping me in the prosthetics development program.”

“Oh, that’s pretty cool. She must be young then. How old is she?” Peter went on, leaning forward to rest an elbow on his knee as he observed the man.

Tony shifted from one foot to the other, casting a quick glance around the room. Everyone was looking to him, listening to him and normally he could do this. Normally he could handle it but for some reason, he thought they could all see right through him. “I think she’s in her early twenties?” He offered.

“Oh man!” Peter groaned. “I really thought I wasn’t gonna’ be the youngest for a second there.”

Tony spluttered a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah right, short-stuff. You’re definitely still the youngest by far.”

Peter sighed, shrugging. “Oh well.”

“How long has she been interning for you?” Bruce asked casually, sipping from his cup of tea. “I don’t think I’ve heard you mention a Julie before.”

And it was the way Bruce said it, deliberately catching and holding Tony’s gaze from over the rim of his mug as he sipped from his drink. Bruce knew all about the interns Tony’d had the privilege of working with and ordering around for the last few years. They’d never been great accounts, that was for sure. So many of the stories had been about these kids trying to make a fast buck, claiming sexual harassment or only God knows what else, just to have their ten-minutes of fame.

Heaven forbid they actually do some work to make an honest living. And sure there had been a few good kids that really did know what they were doing and had benefitted the company in some way, shape or form. But Tony usually mentioned those people as well as the bad and the fact that Bruce hadn’t heard Julie’s name, not even once, was definitely interesting.

“She’s been at SI for almost five months now and she’s been working with me exclusively for the last four. She graduated in April and we scooped her up not long after and yeah-I dunno-just never came up, I guess,” Tony said as a way of an explanation.

Bruce nodded, casting a glance towards Natasha as the red-head slipped from her spot on the couch and strode towards where Tony was still hiding behind the bar. “What’s she like?” Natasha asked lightly, stepping up to the bar and leaning against the cool marble counter top.

“What’s she like?” Tony repeated blankly, blinking across at her.

The corner of her lips twitched. “Yeah, I mean, I’m sure she’s got a personality. So, what’s she like?”

Tony took a deep breath, hoping his face didn’t convey all the panic that was swirling around just beneath the surface of his somewhat calm exterior. “She’s nice.”

“Just nice?” Natasha asked him quietly.

Tony forced himself to chuckle, rolling his eyes a bit. “She’s funny too. Actually, she’s got a great sense of humour, definitely reminds me of myself.”

“Oh great,” Clint deadpanned with a roll of his eyes. “Just what we need…another you.”

Bucky snickered, casting the archer a quick glance. “I’ve heard she’s a bit snarky.”

Tony scoffed. “Not even the half of it.”

Peter laughed lightly, shaking his head. “She been sassing you, Mr. Stark?”

Tony groaned, fixing the younger man with a look. “No,” He denied, rather unconvincingly at that.

Now it was Steve’s turn to laugh. “Liar.”

Tony glowered over at him. “You met her for like, two-minutes-“

“Wait, wait-you met her already?” Clint asked curiously, looking to Steve for confirmation.

The blonde nodded, looking a bit pleased with himself as he sat up a bit straighter. “I did.”

“And?” Clint prompted, gesturing with both hands, obviously wanting to know more.

“Like Tony said, I only met her for a couple of minutes. She was sweet, pretty, definitely had a sense of humour and she and Jarvis sassed the hell out of Tony together,” Steve said smugly.

Tony’s glower only intensified at that and then he was quickly rolling his eyes, setting his glass down to fold his arms over the front of his chest defiantly. “Oh please-“

Clint, Bucky and Peter cracked up whilst Natasha and Bruce watched the genius in obvious amusement. “She totally did, Tony and you know it. Told you, we’re going to get some pointers from her,” Steve said happily, giving the genius a wink.

Tony rolled his eyes, huffing out a breath. “I don’t think you can teach that level of sass,” He muttered under his breath.

Natasha heard him and gave him the tiniest of smirks. “Well, she sounds like fun. You said she’s working in your prosthetics department? I didn’t know SI had one of those.”

“There isn’t one-not exactly…it’s-“ He cleared his throat. “Sort of under development at the moment…as in, I want her to head the department once we have enough research put together and enough designs and you know, working parts and stuff. But you should probably steer clear of that topic for now…because she doesn’t know any of that.”

Natasha shook her head. “Of course, because why would the soon to be head of a department need to know that they’ll be heading the department?”

Tony rolled his eyes. Her level of sarcasm was wonderful at times…when it wasn’t directed at him. “Shut it. She’ll figure it out, if she hasn’t already. Maybe she’s just being polite and getting the work done and then she’ll let me down gently and decline the position.”

Bucky snickered, shaking his head. “Stark, stop thinking so hard-“ He started to admonish, but then they were interrupted when the elevator dinged, the doors to their communal floor sliding open.

There was a moment’s hesitation, the conversation having stopped as soon as the chime had alerted them of the elevator’s arrival and then out stepped the young woman in question. The second she stepped out into the living room, all eyes turned on her and she couldn’t help blushing lightly at the sudden attention.

She was petite, now both Tony and Steve could really tell, because she definitely wasn’t wearing her usual work grubbies; oh no. Instead of baggy tattered jeans, she wore a pair of very tight black leggings with dark grey comfy socks folded down over her ankles, feet shoved into a pair of black Uggs, despite it being the tail end of summer. And boy…Tony was in so much trouble. Her legs were so long and damn it, he’d never had a thing for legs before, not to this degree. He suddenly very much wanted to see her in shorts or better yet, nothing at all.

He wrenched his brain away from that slippery slope and blinked as he took in the rest of her. She was also wearing a black and grey pull-over sweatshirt that said Roots across the front with a beaver slapped above it as well. Her ash blonde hair was pinned up in a very neat bun, not the typical down and messy waves Tony usually saw her in and it suited her rather well.

She was smiling shyly as she took in the sight of the group and Tony watched the colour in her cheeks pick up, making her gorgeous pale blue eyes stand out all the more and he couldn’t help the sudden leap of his heart at the sight of her. He absently reached up and rubbed his knuckles over the Arc-Reactor.

“Uh, hi there,” She greeted nervously, giving them a tentative wave.

Tony beamed at her, probably looking like the worlds biggest dork. “Hey, glad you could make it. Guys-“ He said, gesturing towards her. “This is Julie.”

She waved again, taking another few steps into the room, instinctively moving towards Tony by the bar. They all said their warm hello’s and she smiled a little less nervously then. “Hey, it’s uh…wow, it’s sort of surreal actually meeting you guys. I’m a big fan-” She gushed and then promptly smacked a hand over her mouth.

Tony grinned, obviously pleased. “Oh my God-you were right, the word vomit is an actual thing when it comes to meeting famous people.”

She scowled over at him, dropping her hand. “Don’t you start,” She warned.

Tony smirked, shaking his head at her and then Peter was laughing lightly as he got up from his spot, Bucky, Steve, Clint and Bruce following his lead and heading towards the three by the bar. “Oh come on, I remember when we first met. You were spluttering all over yourself, telling me how much you admired my tech, loved my sense of style and I believe you even admitted that you thought the suit was hot-“

“I did not!” She squeaked, eyes wide and cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she looked from first Tony and then to the others who had come to join them.

Tony chuckled. “Okay, I may have made the suit bit up, but you must have thought it at some point and besides, I bet you’re thinking about it now,” He teased, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She rolled her eyes, pursing her lips. “You know what, I’m not even going to fight you on that one. I’m a techie, I appreciate technology,”` She muttered, turning her gaze towards the red-headed woman before her. “Hi there!” She greeted cheerily, extending her hand in invitation of a hand-shake. “I’m Julie.”

Natasha smirked, a soft chuckle escaping her as Tony floundered for a minute. “Natasha,” She offered, shaking her hand.

The young woman smiled and then she was glancing towards the sandy-haired man at her side. “I’m Clint,” He introduced, waving at her.

“And that’s Bruce, you’ve already met Steve and then there’s Bucky and Peter,” Tony filled in, gesturing towards each as he named them off.

Julie smiled shyly as she looked to each of them as Tony introduced her. “It’s nice to see you again,” Steve greeted, giving her a smile.

“You too,” She managed, barely able to keep the squeak from her voice.

But her eyes were already straying towards Bucky and his metal arm…which was so wonderfully on display since he’d chosen to wear just a simple black t-shirt. She gave him a genuine smile, hoping she didn’t give too much of herself away. She really wished she could get a look at that tech, but it’s not like she could ask. Tony had let her fiddle around with the schematics for it in the last few months and she thought she was much closer to figuring out how to make a prosthetic along the same lines, though with far less pain involved.

“It’s really great to meet you guys. Thanks for saving the world and all-“ She said lamely and then laughed at her own stupidity. “God, you must think I’m a moron. I swear I’m not, just a bit starstruck, sorry.”

Peter laughed, shaking his head and she looked at him, her head tilting curiously as she looked to him. “Yeah, well, we’re sort of a big deal,” Peter said, grinning like a dork.

“I’m sorry…are you an Avenger too?” She asked curiously.

Peter’s face fell and Tony grinned. “Nah, he wishes though. He’s an intern too.”

Peter mumbled something under his breath and Clint elbowed him, trying to cover up a smirk. “Oh wow, really? That’s so cool. What division?” She asked.

Now it was Peter’s turn to splutter, eyes wide. “Ah, sorry, but that’s heavily classified,” Tony informed her, giving Peter a bit of a wink.

“Oh, my bad,” Julie quickly apologized, laughing lightly as she put her hands up in surrender, looking towards Peter. “It must be super top-secret stuff if it’s classified.”

Peter swallowed, but nodded, forcing a chuckle. “Yep, cuz you know, giving a 15 year-old kid that sort of top-secret classification is a smart idea,” Clint muttered absently.

Peter grinned wryly over his shoulder at the man. “17-“ He corrected.

But then Tony was interrupting them. “Anyway! Julie, we thought you might like to pick tonight’s movie.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, that’s really sweet of you guys, but I have no idea what you all enjoy and I’d hate to pick something you wouldn’t like or something that you’ve seen recently.”

Bruce laughed lightly. “You’ll never make everyone happy, no matter what you pick. It’s sort of the fun of it. We don’t generally stay quiet during the movie anyway, just fair warning.”

The others laughed lightly and Julie smiled at the man. “I see how it is,” She teased and then Tony was coming around the side of the bar towards her.

“So, what movie do you want to watch?” He asked her.

“Hang on a second,” Bucky interrupted as he extended his metal hand towards her, giving her a warm smile as her gaze momentarily flickered towards it; apparently she was easily distracted by shiny things too. “How about we put the movie on hold for a bit and just chat for a while? I’d like to get to know our new friend.”

And that was it, Tony was done for, because there was a twinkle in Bucky’s grey-blue eyes that said far more than his innocent words conveyed. This was going to be bad, worse or positively catastrophic. There would be no in between. “That sounds great,” Natasha readily agreed and to his horror, Peter, Steve and even Bruce and Clint seemed on board with the idea.

Oh to hell with it. Tony thought, gesturing vaguely towards the sofas. “Sounds good to me. By all means, let’s play twenty-questions and see how much she sweats.”

Julie laughed, her cheeks heating adorably as she shook her head. “Seriously? You’re just going to throw me to the wolves?”

“Psh, I’m not throwing you to them. I’m going to be one of them,” He admitted with a cheeky grin, waggling his eyebrows as he strode past her and plopped himself down on one of the sofas.

Julie groaned, rolling her eyes skyward. “Of course you are,” She muttered, pulling her backpack from her shoulders. “Also, I brought candy along for everyone. I hope you all like gummy-bears.

Tony perked up instantly, as did Clint and Peter. “What are you, 5?” Tony teased, but he was still looking far too interested in the treats as she pulled out a giant bag of Squish assorted gummy-bears.

She rolled her eyes once again, moving to sit down on the love-seat sitting kiddy-corner to the larger sofa Tony say on. “Don’t even pretend you don’t want some of these, Stark. You love sweets,” She teased, tearing open the bag and pulling out a couple.

She handed off the bag to a hopeful Peter and Clint swooped in to drag the younger man over to sit beside he and Tony. Bucky and Steve settled down on the floor by the coffee table, sharing amused glances with one another while Bruce tossed them a couple of pillows before he took up his seat in the lazy-boy with Natasha sitting down beside her on the love-seat and that was that. Let the games begin, Tony thought absently.

“Yeah, yeah. I have a sweet-tooth, this isn’t news to the Team,” Tony admitted with an eye-roll of his own.

Julie smiled, shaking her head as she popped a bear into her mouth and watched Tony pull out a few from the bag Peter and Clint were fighting over beside him. “So, tell us a bit about yourself,” Natasha prompted, giving her an encouraging smile.

Julie swallowed, suddenly feeling way more nervous than when she first walked into the room. “Uh…I’m an intern of Mr. Stark’s?” And that wasn’t supposed to be phrased as a question.

Natasha’s gaze softened. “Biomechanical engineer, right?”

Julie nodded, gaze flickering towards Tony briefly.“Yeah, I graduated in April and what have you and-“

“We know all that already,” Clint said with a very put upon sigh and they all watched as Julie flushed, casting a quick look in Tony’s direction.

“Have you been talking about me, Mr. Stark?” She tried to tease, but it lacked some of her usual bite; she was obviously a bit surprised by this.

“They had questions,” Tony defended, shrugging innocently as he fought the urge to squirm in his seat.

He was an adult, damn it.

She laughed lightly, glancing down at the gummy-bears in her hand. She popped another one into her mouth as she thought about what to say. “Well, okay, something Mr. Stark maybe didn’t tell you. Hmm…oh, I’m actually Canadian, I moved to New York on a scholarship with school when I was 17 and I’ve been here ever since.”

“Canadian, eh?” Bruce teased and she laughed, rolling her eyes.

“I am, though I’ve got dual-citizenship and all that fun stuff,” She continued.

Natasha hummed in response and Bucky sighed deeply. “Boring-“ He drawled, shifting to lean back on his hands, his legs sprawled out haphazardly in front of him.

Steve scowled at his lover, cuffing him up the back of the head and Bucky smirked. “What? I’m just teasin’ her. We know she’s smart, she works with Tony, for crying out loud. But I want to know what she does in her spare time, who she really is,” Bucky said quietly, gaze intently focused on the young woman.

“Don’t mind him-“ Steve started to reassure, but Julie smiled, shrugging.

“No, he’s right. But I’m actually pretty boring. I intern with Mr. Stark and teach a couple of dance classes in my spare time. I like to read and I love music, but other than that, I don’t do much else,” She confessed, giving him a bit of a wry smile.

Bucky casually tipped his head to the side, observing her curiously and Tony just knew he was going to have to get the man back for this later-because God damnit-he obviously knew what he was doing. “Dance classes?” Bucky inquired calmly.

Julie blinked and then nodded slowly. “Yeah…I teach ballet.”

And there it is! Tony’s brain shouted at him. “Oh?” Bucky asked slyly, still looking to her and steadily holding her gaze.

She shrugged a bit, as if this information wasn’t anything special. “I’ve been practising ballet since I was 4…and because of school and some other stuff, I sort of stepped back from it and instead started teaching in my spare time. Mind you, I definitely still practice every day; just for myself though,” She admitted, giving him a warm smile.

Natasha shifted in her spot next to the young woman and it made both Bucky and Julie break their staring contest, the young woman turning slightly to catch Natasha’s gaze. She looked mildly interested-which, for everyone else in the room-was like, a huge deal. “That explains a lot,” Natasha said breezily.

Julie’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Why does everyone always say that when I tell them I’m a ballerina?”

Natasha couldn’t help chuckling lightly at that. “It’s all in the way you move, the way you carry yourself. Plus, that bun is flawless.”

Julie’s cheeks heated and she laughed nervously. “Thanks, uh I guess so? It’s not exactly like I’m consciously doing anything different. Just the way I am I suppose.”

“Because you’re a dancer,” Bucky agreed quietly, sharing a look with Natasha and then meeting Julie’s gaze. “It never leaves you.”

She realized there was something she was missing, but didn’t have to wonder at what it was for long. “I miss dancing sometimes, it’s been so long since I last wore a pair of slippers,” Natasha confessed with a sigh.

And woah, okay. Steve, Tony, Bruce and Peter were somewhat alarmed by that little display. While Clint looked fondly upon Natasha and Bucky just looked to her in understanding. “You’re a ballerina?” Julie asked curiously, looking over to Natasha excitedly. “I know we just met, but I’m going to take a page from your book and agree; that explains a lot.”

Natasha’s lips quirked up into a sly smile. She shrugged. “I was a ballerina, once upon a time.”

Julie nodded, still looking to her in admiration. “I bet you’d look positively lethal on pointe.”

Natasha laughed and it was so utterly beautiful. The men in the room stared in wide-eyed surprise at the woman, letting the gorgeous sound of her laughter wash over them. Natasha laughing so gloriously like that was so rare these days and to see someone whom she had only just met, provoke that kind of response from her was just incredible. “I bet I would,” Natasha managed to say as her laughter died down to a chuckle.

Julie was still smiling, shaking her head lightly as she surveyed her and then Steve was speaking up. “So the class you said you had just before coming here, was that a dance class?”

Julie nodded, looking to him. “Yeah, I teach three classes a week. Monday’s class is ballet for beginners, Wednesday’s class is for the intermediate students from the academy I went to and then Friday nights are sort of just for fun; though only select students are invited to attend that class. We mostly focus on pointe during those lessons and I’ll be pretty honest with you, it’s just a bunch of ballerinas showing off and having a good time. I don’t even have a lesson plan for it anymore.”

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. “We generally just goof around and teach each other new moves and what have you.”

“That sounds pretty neat. Do you focus on mainly classical? Or are you a more modern-er-is street ballerina an okay term to use?” Bruce asked curiously.

Julie’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh wow, the fact that you know that term even exists is pretty amazing. Uh yeah, we focus on mainly classical in my classes, but Friday’s class is more street or a more modern ballet style.”

Bruce nodded. “Sounds really interesting.”

“It’s fun, that’s for sure,” Julie admitted.

“What would a more modern ballet style look like?” Natasha asked curiously.

Julie reached up, tapping her nose lightly as she apparently thought about this. “It’s sort of hard to explain, but I guess the biggest thing is not being so perfect. I mean, yeah, you have to use the proper techniques and be safety conscious and stuff, but it’s more focused on just letting go. God, every time I try to explain this to someone, that stupid Frozen song pops into my head,” She said in exasperation, pulling a few snickers from Bucky and Steve, with the blonde’s muttered, ‘I got that reference’ barely reaching her ears.

“Being free in your movements is a far more modern thing for ballet and the whole not being afraid to just lose yourself in the music is definitely something that wasn’t always encouraged; I found, anyway. Classical ballet has always been such a precise way of dancing and it is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love getting all those moves perfect and stuff, but you end up thinking too much, caught up in your head while you’re trying to perfect each and every move and it never lets you just let go and feel the music.”

Natasha blinked, nodding slowly. “In the more modern styles, there’s still tons of footwork and pointe and just flow to it all, but it’s just so much more carefree and heartfelt. I still love dancing classical ballet, I dedicate several hours to it at least twice a week, but sometimes it’s nice to just give in and lose myself in the movements,” She sighed, smiling fondly as she let herself relax a bit more.

This was clearly something she was passionate about and Natasha was admittedly curious about the newer styles of ballet, so it felt right in pushing her a bit further. “Do you have any videos? I’d love to see some examples of the more modern styles you’re describing,” Natasha asked quietly.

Julie blinked and then a brilliant smile spread over her face. “I actually have a YouTube channel, if you’re interested? The girls in my Friday class pushed me to make one and we upload videos pretty regularly.”

“Oh!” Peter exclaimed. “Can we watch one?” He asked hopefully.

Julie’s cheeks heated as she glanced to first him, then back to Natasha and then around at the rest of the group. Everyone seemed genuinely interested and were looking to her hopefully. “Uh…if you want to? I think I have a couple of shorter ones on my phone that might explain the differences between classical and a more modern style though,” She said, reaching into her hoodie to pull out her snazzy new StarkPhone.

“Perfect!” Tony blurted, hoping that no one noticed that she was holding the newest model that hadn’t been released to the public yet.

Hell, the Team hadn’t even gotten theirs yet and he knew he’d never hear the end of it. He hopped to his feet as he scooped up a tablet. “I can just have you upload the videos to the private server and we can stream them on the TV.”

Julie smiled nervously and nodded, unlocking her phone and selecting a few options. Tony was already across the living room, tapping away on his tablet as he talked to Jarvis and asked him to load up the proper program on the television so they could watch her videos. Soon her phone was beeping and she glanced up in time to see all 67 of her phone’s videos pop up on the television in little thumbnail stills.

“Holy crap, that’s a lot of videos,” Clint whistled and Julie laughed, shaking her head.

“They’re not all dance videos. Sorry, I guess it uploaded them all,” She apologized.

Tony smirked, turning and striding towards her. He offered her the tablet he’d picked up. “They’re on the private server for now, but you can use the tablet to play or delete anything and they won’t be erased from your phone.”

“Sounds good,” She agreed, taking the tablet from him. “Alright, well…I guess I’ll just look for one of my newest ones. Did you want to see the whole class dancing or just one person?” She asked, turning her attention to Natasha.

The red-head glanced over at Tony when his face did an odd sort of thing and she smiled warmly as she turned her attention back towards the young woman. “How about just you? I think we’re all a bit curious about you.”

Julie’s smile turned incredibly shy then and she shrugged a bit, trying to hide her blush as she looked down at the tablet and all the video thumbnails. “I’m sure I’ve got a few of those,” She mumbled and started scrolling. “The class likes to steal my phone and record me when I think I’m alone in the studio. Makes for some pretty great YouTube videos, or so I’m told.”

Natasha chuckled from beside her. “Here we go,” She said after a moment, selecting one of the videos from the list.

She shifted in her spot, glancing up at the TV as the video popped up, still paused. “Ugh, this is sort of embarrassing,” She groaned. “But whatever, I guess this’ll be some good fodder to tease me with or something.”

Tony grinned, shaking his head at her as he moved to stand behind the small love-seat her and Natasha were settled on. He tried to relax as he braced both of his hands against the back of the couch and watched as she hit the play button.

The image on screen was of an empty studio room with mirrors all along the right side and there didn’t seem to be anyone there just yet. There was someone humming softly under their breath though and the Team listened intently for a moment until a giggle could be heard.

“Shut up-Bailey’s gonna’ hear you. She said she needed to work alone tonight. You know she’s been working on something new and she’s definitely not ready for anyone to see it yet so she’ll for sure kick us out if she catches us in here,” A girl, apparently the one holding the phone snapped.

“Sorry-sorry, okay-here she comes!” The second girl whispered excitedly.

And then there was Julie stepping into the frame, apparently having come from a side door out of sight. She carried along a portable speaker and a small duffle-bag slung over her shoulder and they watched as she set them down in front of the mirror before kneeling down on the floor to open up her bag. They all watched as she pulled out her iPod and plugged it into the speaker and Tony sighed deeply, shaking his head at her. “You really need to get a better music player, that thing is ancient,” He muttered.

Julie smirked, casting a look over her shoulder at him. “It’s classic, Stark. Get over it.”

Bucky snickered, shooting the genius a quick glance. Tony simply rolled his eyes, still smiling as he watched the Julie on screen pulling on her pair of slippers. They were beige, nothing too fancy. They did have the typical ribbon wrapped around her ankle and tied neatly in a bow though, much to Tony’s delight, and she wore a simple pair of black leggings over top of a soft pink leotard with long sleeves. Her hair was up in a perfect bun and she really did look every part the ballerina.

Tony’s eyes were already widening as he watched her on screen self rise to her feet. She did it so smoothly and he found himself swallowing past the lump in his throat. She wasn’t even on pointe yet, but just the way she moved so effortlessly had his mouth going dry. He watched as she bent and pressed play on her iPod and then she was slowly stepping towards the centre of the studio. The girls who were recording were incredibly quiet and the phone barely moved at all as the one girl had propped it up against something to better record their teacher.

The music started to play-slow and melodic-and the male voice singing was soft and sensual. There were instruments too, a flute and even a violin and it was all so soft and slow; something you would expect to hear in a classical ballet number, without the vocals of course.

And Julie danced just that. She was all long legs and sinuous movement, still mostly off her toes at this point, but that didn’t last long. She moved across the studio floor gracefully with her arms moving fluidly as she did a few simple steps and turns and then the music changed. She slid seamlessly into a far more faster paced dance and okay, yeah, this definitely wasn’t classical ballet anymore.

They watched in awe as she popped up onto her toes and began to very quickly and gracefully spin a couple of times before her hips were swaying side to side in a very alluring matter if Tony had anything to say about it. She was all sass, her calm and collected demeanour having changed into something daring and playful. She was stunning as she commanded the studio floor. Her facial expressions were wonderful and they could really see her getting into the song, the lyrics obviously making her feel strong and powerful all at once.

Tony was positively mesmerized as he watched her get lost in the music, still up on pointe too. And holy shit, Tony thought. She just jumped and did a fucking split in mid-air! Okay, so Tony was definitely internally freaking out a little bit and he really hoped his jaw wasn’t on the floor. She was all confidence and swagger as she did what Tony was sure were a few pirouettes as well and when the music slowed for just a moment, she did some very lovely stretching.

Well, if bringing your entire left leg straight up into the air and grasping your toes as you remained on pointe could be seen as stretching, then that’s what she did. Tony saw it as stretching. And it all just looked so effortless for her. She was clearly enjoying herself as she very nearly pranced around the room and she looked so happy; off in her own little world as she continued to act sassy and dance along to the song and Tony was absolutely beside himself.

The song was slowing again and the woman on screen was slipping back into her more classical style of dancing-and yeah okay, that was so beautiful in and of itself-but the way she had almost put on a show with the faster paced part of the song had Tony’s stomach in knots; his mouth dry and his heart pounding way too loudly in his chest. He really hoped the Arc Reactor wasn’t going to have a meltdown or something, because wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

“Wow-“ Came Steve’s soft voice and they all watched as on screen Julie came to a standstill and took a few slow breaths in the centre of the room…and then seemed to catch sight of the girls who had been videotaping her.

“Cindy and Dominique!” She shouted, obviously surprised and maybe not angry, just exasperated with them.

The girls quickly stood up, the camera getting jostled for a moment and then they were yelling out their apologies, laughing as they booked it from the room with Julie yelling after them, “You rotten-“

And then the video cut out and Julie laughed nervously. “I was so mad at them, I wasn’t ready for anyone to see it yet.”

She shifted in her spot, turning to survey the rest of the group and was surprised by the looks on their faces. They looked positively enraptured and they were all staring at her in wide-eyed and even open-mouthed shock in some cases. “Was it bad? Did you not like it? You didn’t like it-that’s okay-it’s not for every-“

“Of course we liked it!” Steve breathed, eyes still wide and awe-filled. “That was-I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. That was so beautiful, Julie.”

Julie’s cheeks heated, the blush spreading down along her throat and disappearing beneath her suddenly very stifling sweater. “Oh-that’s-that’s good,” She barely dared to whisper, a bit in shock over the fact that Captain fucking America thought her dancing was beautiful. “Thank you.”

Bucky shook his head, meeting her gaze. “That was amazing. I never knew ballet could be like that.”

Julie said nothing and instead bit down on her lower lip, glancing towards Bruce and Peter as they both nodded and murmured their agreement. Peter definitely had stars in his eyes. “I especially liked the part where you did the splits in the air, that was pretty awesome,” Peter confessed, grinning stupidly.

“Thanks,” She barely managed to squeak.

“It’s called a grande jeté,” Natasha murmured absently, drawing the group’s attention, including Julie’s. “And you did it perfectly…that-that takes years and years of practice, Julie and even then, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone execute it quite like that. How are you not dancing for a professional company?”

Julie blinked, her cheeks already the brightest red her body could muster at the moment. “I gave it up,” She said simply.

“What?” Both Tony and Natasha said in disbelief.

Julie blinked, glancing over her shoulder at Tony who was still incredibly wide-eyed and super beautiful, if she was really being honest with herself. She pushed away that lovely thought for a moment and looked back to Natasha instead; that should be easier, safer. She was so wrong about that. Natasha looked murderous.

“I gave it up?” She said again, not really meaning for there to be a question at the end of that.

“What do you mean, you gave it up?” Natasha demanded and yep, definitely not safe; she should have kept looking at Tony’s pretty face.

She swallowed hard. “I was also a student at the New York Theatre Ballet and about six years ago, I was asked to be a ballerina in their production of The Nutcracker. I was Clara, I had the soloist part and it went over wonderfully, honestly. It was a lot of fun and I ended up going on to perform Odette’s part in Swan Lake as well. I was-everyone told me I was perfect, said I was amazing and all that nice stuff, but I just wasn’t having fun anymore. It became work-I just-I couldn’t lose myself in the music, couldn’t lose myself in front of the huge crowds and enjoy dancing for what it was anymore.”

“What is it to you?” Bucky suddenly asked her; timid, quiet.

She looked to him, her cheeks still flushed. “Everything-“ She breathed. “It’s everything to me and I just couldn’t let go on a stage in front of hundreds of people. I was too afraid, couldn’t settle enough, so I gave it up. I started teaching my replacements instead and I resigned, left to pursue dancing on my own and wound up teaching at the dance studio just around the corner. And you know, continued my studies to become a biomechanical engineer.”

“How the hell did you have time for all of that too?” Clint blurted.

Julie shrugged, smiling a little wryly. “I didn’t sleep all that much, didn’t eat so great either.”

“Wait a minute-“ Peter suddenly muttered. “The girl in the video called you Bailey. Is that your last name?”

Julie shifted slightly. “No, Bailey is actually my first name. My middle name is Julie."

“Holy shit!” Peter exclaimed, eyebrows stupidly high. “You’re Bailey O’Donnel!”

The group’s brows collectively furrowed and Julie let out a nervous laugh. “Why am I not surprised the teeny-bopper knows who I am?”

“Holy shit, Bai-I mean-Miss O’Donnel-I can’t believe it’s you. Oh man, the guys at school used to drool-“ Peter started to groan, steamrolling right over her teeny-bopper comment, apparently.

Steve cleared his throat suddenly and Peter snapped his mouth shut so quickly, casting first an apologetic look towards Steve and then one towards Julie. “Sorry-“

She laughed nervously. “I don’t think I want to know what the rest of that sentence was.”

Tony grumbled under his breath. “I sort of wanted to know.”

Steve, Natasha and Julie sent him a very disapproving set of looks while Clint and Bucky snickered; Bruce doing his absolute best to keep his smile under wraps as he observed the group. “So, you’re really Bailey O’Donnel?” Peter asked curiously.

Julie nodded, letting out a soft sigh. “I am.”

Peter groaned. “There were posters of you up all over the place. I don’t know how I didn’t recognize you. Mind you, in all the posters you were dressed up like a swan princess and stuff, lots of fancy makeup.”

Julie smiled nervously. “Yeah…not exactly everyday wear.”

Peter laughed lightly, nodding. “Yeah, yeah, I guess not.”

“So-“ Tony started curiously. “What did the guys have to say about her?”

Julie turned, fixing him with a very pointed look, one delicate eyebrow raised. “Do you really want to know what a bunch of teenage boys thought about me, Mr. Stark? Because I sure as hell don’t.”

Tony grinned, putting his hands up in surrender. “Fair enough.”

“Can we watch another?” Natasha asked quietly, having picked up the abandoned tablet from Julie’s side.

Julie glanced to her, her head tipping to the side as she observed the older woman. She looked curious and tentative and she wasn’t sure that everything she’d heard about Natasha Romanov, the ex-Soviet Assassin, had been all that truthful. She smiled, shrugging lightly. She never was one to take the news all that seriously when they had a tendency to over-exaggerate or glorify everything and this woman was after all, part of a Team that helped save and protect the world on a daily basis.

“Sure, I mean, if you want to?” Julie asked quietly.

Natasha nodded, glancing over at first Bucky and then the others. They all nodded and murmured their agreement and soon they were snacking and playing through another few of her videos. Nearly an hour passed by like this and Tony was growing more and more uncomfortable by the minute. Each and every video showed him more of the world of this wonderful, creative and inspiring young woman and he was beginning to realize that the blip of a problem he thought he’d stumbled upon was turning out to be a little bit more than just a blip.

“I’m noticing a trend,” Natasha murmured.

“Hmm?” Julie asked, glancing towards the red-head beside her curiously.

“All the music. It’s the same artist, isn’t it?” Natasha asked.

Julie chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, my favourite artist, actually. I doubt any of you have heard of them before. The band’s called Panic! At the Disco.”

“Oh,” Peter murmured, eyes still stuck on the screen as they watched Julie dance her way through another routine. “I recognize the name, couldn’t place the voice though, this must be some of their older stuff. They sing that song, Nine in the Afternoon, right?”

Julie nodded. “Yeah, I fell in love with them ages ago. I actually edit and mix their songs for a lot of my routines. I’m a huge fan of theirs. I’ve even been to two of their concerts. They’re amazing, such an incredible inspiration to me. I love all their music, all the instrumentals, the stories they tell in their songs,” She sighed, shaking her head fondly.

Tony’s lips quirked and he glanced towards the nearest camera where he was sure Jarvis would be watching. He made a little pen-writing motion and winked at the lens, the camera flashing green and then back to red. Jarvis got the message.

“That’s really cool,” Peter murmured absently, watching as another video loaded up.

They’d put the list of videos on random to have a bit of fun, but the second this particular video started up, Julie scrambled to take the tablet from Natasha, hastily clicking over to the next video and deleting the one she’d just skipped over. “Sorry-“ She quickly apologized. “That one was a serious fail,” She chuckled nervously. “Wouldn’t want you to have to see that.”

Peter huffed out a laugh, but Natasha eyed her curiously. Even Tony didn’t seem all that convinced, noting the tinge in her cheeks taking on a bit more colour. “The ladies and Mr. Odinson have arrived back at the Compound and wish to know if they might crash your movie night, Sir,” Jarvis intoned.

Tony huffed, rolling his eyes as he cast a look around the group. “Bring ‘em on up. The more the merrier.”

Julie’s eyes widened. “Mr. Odinson? As in, Thor Odinson?” She squeaked.

Tony grinned. “The one and only.”

She groaned softly, hanging her head. “I’m going to make a fool out of myself all over again, aren’t I?”

Tony just grinned gleefully in response while Natasha patted her on the shoulder in sympathy. She did end up making a fool out of herself when she first met the God of Thunder, but it turned out that meeting Jane Foster was what really did it for her. She was a spluttering mess as she gushed over the astrophysicist’s accomplishments in her field and then meeting Darcy Lewis had been a whirlwind and a half with all of her questions. Even meeting Wanda had been exceptionally exciting.

The brunette had smiled at her so sweetly and extended her hand in an offer of a handshake and before Julie could think better of it, she’d grasped her hand. Wanda’s thoughts had nearly overwhelmed her, all of which were pleasant and warm and just greetings really, but there was an undercurrent of something she couldn’t quite place. It was like she was maybe feeling her out, trying to gain a bit of insight into this sudden stranger in their midst.

Tony had cleared his throat when Wanda had failed to remove her hand quick enough and Julie had been left blinking in confusion as Wanda’s hand finally left hers, the Scarlet Witch smiling shyly at her as she murmured a quiet apology. Julie had just shrugged, not really sure what had happened and offered up a warm smile in return.

And then it’d devolved from there. They all settled back in and started watching a few more of Julie’s dance videos, now having moved on to some of the ones featuring her students and the like. It wasn’t until Julie had suggested for possibly the tenth time that they actually watch a movie instead of her silly videos, that the group finally relented and let her choose the film.

“It’s a classic, I swear,” She said through her light laughter. “Plus, I mean, it’s Kevin Bacon. Who wouldn’t want to watch Kevin Bacon?” She asked incredulously, to which there was a chorus of agreement and a bit of confusion from Bucky, Steve and Wanda.

“Tremors?” Tony had repeated skeptically, eyeing up the young woman with a very highly raised eyebrow.

She grinned at him, her nose scrunching up adorably as she nodded and patted the spot next to her that Natasha had only just vacated. “Yep!” She said happily and made sure to pop the ‘p’.

Tony shook his head incredulously. “You’re a secret cult film lover, aren’t you?” He asked warily, moving to take a seat next to her on the small love-seat.

She laughed, smiling at him as she bent forward to unzip her backpack and pull out a small black woven blanket with a pair of white ballet slippers woven into the corner, kicking off her Uggs as she made herself more comfortable. “I love my monster movies, yes. But I definitely draw the line at the Sharknado series.”

Peter, Clint and even Bruce all groaned loudly at the admission. “Those movies are ridiculous!” Clint cried, shaking his head and Julie nodded; she couldn’t exactly argue with him on that one.

“I completely agree with you. Though I do admit, I’ve seen them all once. Had to see what the hype was about,” She confessed.

Peter laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, they’re awful, but they were entertaining. I mean, they were just so bad.”

Julie laughed again, nodding as she glanced towards the screen, the opening title of their film loading up thanks to Jarvis. No one had the heart to tell her that they were all thoroughly done with monsters. They’d seen their fair share of real ones, but a movie really wasn’t going to affect them. It was just a movie, after all.

So they settled in, munching on popcorn and sipping at their sodas and Tony curled in on himself, leaning against the armrest as far away from Julie as humanly possible as he watched her snuggle up under her cute little blanket out of the corner of his eye. “You brought your own blanket,” He simply stated when she caught him staring.

Julie smiled and nodded and then extended a corner of her blanket towards him. “Wanna’ share?”

Tony did his very best to not look surprised or taken-aback in the slightest as he shrugged as casually as he could manage, rolling his eyes in the process. She smirked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as well as she draped the blanket over his lap and turned her attention back to the television, the lights in the room dimming and the opening music starting up.

Tony swallowed hard, his hands coming up to grasp the edge of the blanket. He caressed it for a moment, just feeling the wool beneath his fingers and then he made the horrible mistake of looking up and right into the steel-grey eyes of Bucky Barnes. He inhaled slowly, the soldier’s gaze so very knowing as he tilted his mouth towards Steve’s ear as the blonde reclined against his chest. He whispered something to him, his gaze still intently focused on Tony, the genius feeling caught and unable to look away.

But then Steve smiled, biting his lower lip as he rolled his head against Bucky’s flesh and blood shoulder to cast a heavy lidded glance towards him. Tony found his staring contest with Bucky broken and instead found himself looking into Steve’s bright blue, practically glittering eyes. Tony quickly looked away and thankfully, didn’t make eye contact with anyone else. He wasn’t sure he could handle having any more knowing looks sent his way.

He looked back down at the blanket draped across his lap. He really wished he could bury his face in said blanket and just smell Julie on it…as creepy as that sounded, even to him. It was still tempting. As the movie started playing and the group started up with their usual running commentary, Tony tried to relax, listening to Julie’s additions that made him smile just a touch more easily as he continued to caress the soft blanket over his lap. He couldn’t help casting her one more look out of the corner of his eye when she laughed at something Thor said a little too hard.

She looked so beautiful, so relaxed and happy and at ease and Tony found himself actually relaxing more too. Until about the time where she shifted to put her back against the armrest and tucked her feet up against his thigh. She immediately glanced towards him, shifting her feet back as she apologized and Tony looked to her, shaking his head and giving her a smile.

“It’s okay, are your feet cold?” He asked.

She blinked and then nodded. “Yeah, they’re always cold, hence the Uggs. I don’t have great circulation. Sorry, I didn’t mean to poke you with them,” She apologized.

Tony shrugged, glancing back towards the television. “Don’t worry about it. Feel free to steal some of my heat, if you want.”

He aimed for casual, nonchalance at its finest, and for a moment he was sure he succeeded and then he felt her toes tentatively brush up against his right thigh again and dip just slightly underneath. His lips twitched as he shifted just enough to let her bury her toes beneath the weight of his thigh and then he made the mistake of glancing away from the television and caught Natasha’s smile.

He swallowed, quickly looked away and then took a steadying breath before Clint said something ridiculous about the Graboid title the one character had decided to name the snake monster things. “It’s a great name!” He blurted and they went right back to it, everyone weighing in on the matter because it was a very important discussion, apparently.

Tony could have kicked himself. He should have known that this was a bad idea. Well, to be fair, he’d admitted that to himself early on in the evening, even before Julie had arrived, actually. He’d known it the minute Steve had asked her along to movie night that this was going to be bad. He just hadn’t really known how bad until this exact moment.

Because they’d barely made it half-way through the film and he was completely distracted, barely able to focus on the movie anymore with the constant but light pressure of Julie’s feet pressed up under his thigh. It was a sweet sort of torture. He knew he’d developed feelings for the woman weeks ago, maybe even as far back as months, but he didn’t do so well in the feelings department, so he’d tried to brush it off and keep it strictly professional.

That was proving to be really fucking difficult when this woman was so much like himself and yet completely different in ways that had him absolutely flabbergasted. He liked her, like, really liked her and he wasn’t sure what to make of his attraction to her. Because yes she was pretty, but that-that wasn’t what drew him to her in the first place. She was so smart, so full of wit and a sarcastic sense of humour that had even him surprised and barking out with a sort of laughter that he hadn’t thought himself capable of anymore.

Being around her was fun, she kept him on his toes and for all he prided himself on being a snarky little shit, she was far more deserving of that title. She was snarky and so full of sass that she rivalled even Steve Rogers and that was a bloody feat! He really did love that side of her. And wow, when did he start thinking about her with that word tacked on? He wondered.

He mentally shook himself, glancing towards the blanket still draped across his lap and took a quiet breath in before letting it out slowly. She was his intern and he had to constantly remind himself of that. She worked for him, under him and boy was that a thought he didn’t want to delve too much into at the moment. She was also 24 and he was nearing 40 at this point, which-yeah, he wasn’t ready to go there. He was too old for her, definitely. She’d never even look twice at him like that, he was sure of it.

She probably looked to him as a father figure or something stupid like that. Hero-worship, maybe and all that bullshit. He was a shit role-model, so he didn’t exactly want to put their working relationship into that category either. He sighed internally and let his hands smooth out over his thighs over the blanket. He liked her and he cared about her and he really wished that he didn’t, but it was impossible to unlike her now. This wasn’t bloody FaceBook.

And so the movie continued and the evening progressed and soon they were on to the second Tremors movie because Julie had opened her mouth about the Shriekers and it being a trilogy and dear God, trilogies were a big thing with the Team. They wanted to see them ALL, including the additional Western rendition and Tony kept very quiet about knowing that there had been a TV show that had come out some time ago. Another time, he supposed.

So they put on the second film and the commentary continued and the night was fun and they all laughed-devoured the bag of Squish gummy-bears and wound up pausing the second film to fill up on popcorn and more chips or in Thor’s case, Pop-Tarts and it was great! Really fuckinggreat! Because every time the young woman shifted next to him, she drifted closer into his space, her toes squirming on occasion beneath his thigh in an attempt to keep warm and he felt absolutely on fire as his mind wandered over and over and over again.

By the time the third movie started, Tony didn’t even care that it looked like they were going to be up all night having very deep discussions about the Graboids and Shriekers and the goddamn Ass-Blasters, because he had come to the realization that he was falling a bit more in love with the woman at his side every time he heard her happy laughter.

The very same woman who was now tucked up beside him, trying her hardest to stay awake for the remainder of the film and weigh in with her opinion on the very important discussion about which of the three monsters were the more fun and which they thought would be the easiest and hardest to kill and why.

Very serious discussions, indeed. Tony let out a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes as he pried his gaze from the TV for a moment and reached for his cup of coffee, only to find it empty. He pouted and the soft chuckle at his side made him glance towards a sleepy eyed Julie. He couldn’t help the soft smile he gave her in return. “Want me to refill your cup? I was thinking about getting one for myself as well. Especially if I want to make it through the movie,” She murmured, shifting in her spot.

“It’s okay, but you know you don’t have to stay if you’re tired,” He tried, but she just laughed lightly and waved him off.

“I started this, so I’d better finish it,” She sighed but she sounded happy and amused and he smiled at the sight.

“It’s true, you did sort of start it,” He agreed, watching as she shifted beneath the blanket, only to toss her corner of it across him as she stood swiftly, and so, so gracefully.

He blinked, watching her move effortlessly, and then she popped up onto her socked toes and stretched and Tony’s throat clicked, mouth suddenly dry and eyes wide as he stared at the young woman. She raised her arms above her head in a languid stretch, letting out a soft sigh as she did so. He could hear her toes cracking, her back too and he swallowed past the lump in his throat as he watched the little sliver of bared skin at her back he’d been treated to for only a second disappear; once again covered up by her sweater.

“I’ll be right back,” She murmured, tossing a quiet look over her shoulder at him, too sleepy to have apparently noticed the awestruck look Tony was sporting.

Tony was secretly grateful for all of three-seconds, until he caught Bucky smirking at him quietly before burying his face in Steve’s blonde hair. Tony’s gaze strayed back towards Julie as he watched her in the kitchen and he found himself mesmerized by the way she moved, the long lines of her legs and despite her height and frame, she really did have gloriously long legs. He blinked, trying not to ogle her and watched her for a moment longer. She seemed content, at ease even as she busied herself looking for mugs and he watched as she filled two cups with some of the coffee from the pot they’d set to brew a short while ago, humming under her breath all the while.

He watched her intently as she then went in search of the sugar. It was up on a small shelf with some packets of tea and he inhaled sharply as she reached for it. Up on her toes, her back arched delightfully, her arm reaching high above her and he was completely caught up by the sight. She was so beautiful, so petite and he wanted to call her sweet, but Jesus Christ, she had a way about her and he was sure if he ever even hinted at it, she’d smack him so, so hard…and he just might let her.

He swallowed thickly and glanced away, back towards the television where someone was getting blown up by an Ass-Blaster, Jesus Christ. He blinked and not a moment later Julie was stepping into his space and offering him the cup, knowing how much he hated being handed things and still doing it anyway. He smiled up at her slightly uncomfortably for a beat and it was probably obvious to anyone who was looking at him right then as his smile shifted-his hand tentatively moving and cradling the mug-and he really hoped no one was looking, because he was pretty damn sure that they’d be able to see how absolutely gone on her he was.

He murmured his thanks and she smiled before taking up her seat next to him once again. He settled the blanket back over her and stared down at the cup of coffee in his hands, getting lost in the swirl of the caramel colours. He raised it to his lips, inhaling the smell before taking a slow sip and nearly moaned at how good it tasted and then tried to calm his suddenly rapidly beating heart as Julie tucked her feet up under his thigh again and he wondered at how perfect she’d managed to make his cup of coffee. Just the way he liked, the way she knew he liked.

He took a deep breath and glanced towards her as she made soft yummy noises, sipping at her coffee and obviously enjoying it. She smiled at him when she caught him looking, her nose scrunching up adorably before Clint and Peter were suddenly shouting about how ridiculous something was that had just happened on screen. And then Darcy was cackling and Peter was insisting that they rewind and watch the scene again. Tony laughed at the idiocy of it all, but really, this was just another typical Team bonding night…except it really wasn’t.

His gaze drifted back towards the young woman beside him as she started explaining in great detail about what she thought was happening on screen and how it apparently should have gone down. And Tony smiled fondly at her and he knew-and he was sure that Steve and Bucky knew and most definitely Natasha-that he was completely and utterly smitten.

He wondered if he could really hope to keep this under wraps, his feelings under control and try and keep whatever this was, strictly professional. But then Julie was laughing so bright and beautiful and grinning as she cast a very unimpressed look in Clint’s direction and pointed at him threateningly. “Listen, Hawk-guy,” She sassed. “The Ass-Blasters are for pure entertainment value. They were a complete and utter joke and let’s face it, the Graboids and Shriekers are where it’s at. They are what made the movies, well, other than Kevin Bacon and whatever the hell the guy’s name is that played Burt Gummer.”

Clint stared at her in bemusement for all of a second before he blurted, “Did you just call me Hawk-guy?”

Julie blinked, having apparently lost her train of thought, but before she could open her mouth, Tony burst out laughing and the rest of the Team followed suit. Julie spluttered for a moment, a glorious blush gracing her features as she looked to the archer. “Uh…to be fair, I heard the name from Stark, so really he’s to blame,” She tried to defend, gesturing towards the genius at her side.

Tony only cackled harder at that and Clint blinked, shaking his head in disbelief. “Oh-“ He breathed. “It’s on.”

And for the briefest of moments, Julie was actually nervous. Until Natasha smirked across at her, giving her a wink. “He’s harmless,” The red-head comforted.

Julie smiled and put her hand up in what she hoped was a placating gesture and Clint rolled his eyes. “It’s still on,” He grumbled petulantly, casting Natasha a quick look.

She rolled her eyes and patted the archer on the head. Julie bit her lower lip, her cheeks still flushed as she shook her head and murmured another quiet apology. But Tony was still grinning, shaking his head at her as he leaned in to murmur in her ear. “Feel free to use any of the other nicknames I’ve throw about, at your leisure.”

She laughed, glancing to him nervously. “Yeah, no way,” She muttered, taking another sip of her coffee as she thought back to other nicknames she’d heard him casually throw about.

Tony smiled, shaking his head as they all went back to criticizing the film. The movie was over all too soon and as their evening drew to a close, Tony found himself bereft of the blanket he’d been so warm beneath…as well as the warm press of Julie’s feet as she stood, grabbing her bag and moving to stow her blanket inside. Tony gave her an odd sort of look as she tugged the blanket from him.

“What?” She shrugged, stepping into her Uggs. “It’s my favourite blanket.”

Tony shook his head as he too got to his feet and started helping tidy up the mess they’d all managed to make. It wasn’t long until they’d said their good nights and Julie was heading towards the elevator to head up to her floor, the Team’s rooms all on this level, but not hers. “Thanks for inviting me again, Mr. Stark,” She called over her shoulder. “I had a great time.”

Tony cleared his throat as Steve cast him a smile and he forced himself to look towards the young woman. “You’re invited to all future movie nights, by the way. Every Friday night unless-you know-baddies,” Tony told her.

Julie blinked, smiling as she turned around to face him, walking backwards into the elevator. “That’s-thank you. I-I really did have a great time and I look forward to the next one, I’ll see you Monday morning, Mr. Stark.”

Tony nodded, smiling as he watched the doors start to slide shut and she waved happily at the Team before calling out, “Night!”

The Team all called back their good night’s as well and then Tony turned around and was immediately met with their collective gazes settled on him. “Well, this was fun, but I’m pretty beat. Going to head to bed, so you guys have a good night-“ He started to babble, already heading for the stairs that would take him to his workshop, not the ones the hallway that would lead him to his apartment and trying his damn hardest not to give himself away any more than he was sure he already had.

“Good night, Tony,” Steve said simply, the rest of the Team smiling and waving as he ducked into the hallway and away from all their knowing stares.

“That was really fun,” Clint admitted, grinning stupidly.

Natasha elbowed him and his grin only intensified. “He’s got the hots for her, right?” Darcy yawned, glancing around the group.

“Pretty sure that’s what all the awkward was about and you know, all the fond dorky smiles and sappy puppy-dog eyes,” Jane chuckled, glancing towards Bruce who sighed deeply next to her.

“For a genius, he really is hopeless,” The scientist muttered.

“Are we going to meddle?” Darcy asked hopefully.

“I feel like we should meddle,” Peter said, even more hopefully.

Steve and Bucky shared a look before smirking at one another. “Oh, we’re going to meddle alright. But first, it’s time for bed. We’ll meddle in the morning,” Steve sighed, a yawn escaping him.

Bucky and the others chuckled softly and they all started heading towards their bedrooms. They’d just piled into one of the hallways when Thor spoke up tentatively, “Do you think she returns his affections?”

He’d been relatively quiet all evening and that was rather unusual for the big-guy, so they looked to him curiously. Jane was walking beside him, arm linked lightly with his and looking up at him with a fond smile on her face and she looked like she was about to say something, when Wanda beat her to it.

“I’m certain she does,” Wanda murmured with a great deal of finality in her tone.

Everyone visibly relaxed, sharing soft smiles with one another. That was good enough for them. Whatever Wanda had seen or felt when she’d touched Julie’s hand, they knew it could have only been good things. Tony looked happy, despite all the awkwardness and Julie seemed like a happy and bubbly person. If she was capable of drawing Tony’s attention, they really wanted to get to know her better and see if they could get the pair together. They’d implement a plan of action tomorrow. They were just as certain of that as Wanda apparently was of the young woman’s affections.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Julie dances to in the first video is called The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know by Panic! At The Disco.


	3. Three

And so instead of slipping off to the workshop as he’d intended, Tony made his way over to his apartment to curl up on his sofa with a tablet instead. He’d barely flopped onto the plush brown leather sofa, dragging a blanket over him as he went, before he’d asked Jarvis to look for Julie’s YouTube channel.

Hours and hours later, he’d managed to watch every single one of the videos on her channel and everything else he could find online; including the random grainy cellphone footage of her dancing in the ballet company at the Royal. And then he pulled up the files she’d left on the private server, so pleased that Jarvis hadn’t thought to wipe them because you know, privacy.

At some point he’d fallen asleep, just snippets here and there as he watched and in some cases re-watched her routines and her classes. He listened to Julie’s light laughter, the girls and boys in her classes laughing along, even singing at times as they all danced and genuinely looked like they were having a good time. There really weren’t a ton of seriously serious videos unless it was Julie practising on her own and true to the woman’s word, her students very much did enjoy stealing her phone to video-tape her in secret whenever they thought they could get away with it.

When he’d finally gotten through all of them, he frowned down at his tablet. The battery was critically low, despite the awesome capabilities of StarkTech, even close to-oh shit-14 hours of video playback time was enough to kill the bloody thing. He blinked, rubbing at his eyes in tired acceptance as he tossed the virtually dead StarkPad onto his coffee table. He should probably actually sleep in a bed, maybe eat something or better yet, take a shower!

He sighed, dragging himself up from his nest of pillows and blankets he’d managed to commandeer and dragged himself towards his kitchenette to get himself a glass of water. He grimaced at the awful case of morning breath…despite it being, ugh, 7:30pm.

He eventually managed to scarf down a bit of fruit and toast before he showered and dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a t-shirt. But then he made a stop back in the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee before taking a detour to the lab and instead of actually working like he’d maybe hoped to, he plopped himself down on one of his rolling stools and wheeled himself over to one of his computers.

And promptly pulled up all of Julie’s videos…and then asked Jarvis to categorize them into a series of folders-on his private server-depending on the varying style or who was featured in them. Once Jarvis had accomplished that, Tony found himself watching the videos that only featured her.

It wasn’t until early, early Saturday-er, Sunday-morning when he’d started to finally succumb to the much needed sleep he felt he actually needed. He blinked, pushing himself away from his desk for only a moment; until he caught sight of a folder labelled, Deleted.

He frowned, gesturing towards it with a screwdriver and then glanced down at the tool caught up in his hand, wondering when he’d picked it up and why exactly. He gingerly set it down, looking at it as if it would attack him and cleared his throat. “What’s that, J?”

“I’m not sure what you are referring to, Sir,” Jarvis said smoothly.

Tony blinked, glancing towards one of the nearest cameras and raising a skeptical brow. “You always know what I’m referring to, J. Even when I’m muttering in my sleep, you still make sense of my shit and put two and two together. So, I’m going to ask you again…what is that?”

“Perhaps you should open it and find out, Sir,” Jarvis simply said back.

Now Tony was really weirded out and he made sure Jarvis knew it before he turned his attention back towards the computer and hesitantly reached out to tap the icon. A video thumbnail popped up and he blinked at it. He realized that it must have been the video Julie had deleted from movie night. She’d said that it was a fail and he smiled tiredly to himself, wondering how badly she could have messed up to have actually deleted it. So he rest his elbow on his desk and poked the folder again, watching with sleepy eyes as the video started to play.

The camera jostled a few times as someone other than Julie handled the phone and then there was another woman’s laugh filling his ears. “Holy crap, Bai! I can’t believe you got the latest StarkPhone! I can’t even afford an early model of this thing and here you are with one that’s not even on the market yet,” The woman sighed while trying to play with the camera and film around the room.

Julie laughed in the video and the camera panned around towards her and Tony’s face positively lit up. Forget sleep, that was for the weak. All he needed was to see that pretty girl’s face and hear that beautiful laughter and he’d never need sleep again. Wishful thinking, he knew, but oh well. He was sleep deprived after all.

“I’m sorry? It’s not my fault Mr. Stark insists on giving me his newest tech to test out. I don’t even think I know how to use half the features on that thing,” Julie sighed.

The woman behind the phone scoffed. “I can’t believe you still call him Mr. Stark. Doesn’t he give you a hard time with that? Or is he secretly a fan of pretty girls calling him Mr. Stark? I figure he tells everyone else in the world to call him ‘Tony, please’ why would you be any different?”

Julie rolled her eyes, sighing deeply. “He’s my boss, Diana. I don’t-it isn’t right for me to call him by his first name.”

“So he has told you to call him Tony!” Diana shouted with obvious glee.

Julie groaned loudly as she fiddled with her slippers, making sure the bows were done up just right. “Can we give this a rest? I want you to film this for me, I’m struggling to get this routine down and I want to see it recorded so that I can see what I’m doing wrong.”

“No, no, no! I’m not dropping this. I bet he insisted you call him Tony. Shit, I’d call him Tony if he asked me to. Love the way his name sounds, so sexy. God, how is it a man can be so sexy and yet such a complete asshole?” Diana sighed.

Tony’s heart clenched, his breath stolen from him for only a moment before he managed to squash that feeling down. He was used to it, should have been used to it, people talking about him in such a negative way, but he really wasn’t sure he could take listening to Julie talking bad about him behind his back…but then he got a look at Julie’s gorgeous face giving the woman behind the camera a very scornful look. “Excuse me?” She breathed lowly.

“Well, I mean, he must be an asshole, right? Have you seen his interviews and all the stories in the news about him? He must be a complete asshole, a playboy and reckless too, from what I gather,” She sighed in annoyance.

Julie positively glared at the woman. “Take that back right now, Diana,” She seethed quietly.

“W-what?” Diana said nervously.

“I said, take it back,” Julie muttered angrily.

“But-“ Diana started to say before Julie interrupted her.

“Mr. Stark is a wonderful, talented, intelligent man. He’s been an incredible boss to me and-just-he is kind and charitable and yes he may have been a playboy, maybe he still is for all I know, but he’s never made a pass at me or even made me feel uncomfortable, not once. He isn’t like that, I’m sure of it. He’s a genius for sure, billionaire, yes, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a playboy, despite what he’d probably tell you and the rest of the world. I just don’t see it, it’s more than likely a front, if you ask me. I bet he just tries to uphold that image to give the press and all the idiots that actually believe the shit in those gossip magazines something other than all the incredible good he actually does on a daily basis to talk about. Because he is a good man! He works so hard to develop alternative energy sources and help those in need and for Christ-sakes! He defends our bloody planet and all of us because he wants to! Not because he has to! And he’s definitely a philanthropist, all those charities and let’s not forget the Maria Stark Foundation-and did you know he’s working on a new prosthetics program? He is incredible, Diana. And I want you to take back those nasty things you just said about him or so help me-“

“I take it back! I take it back-I’m sorry-jeeze, Bailey-you’d think you were in love with the guy with the way you vouch for him. Shit, I believe you, okay? Never believed anyone more in my life. That glare you’re giving me is menacing!” Diana said, the camera jostling slightly as a shiver apparently wracked through her.

Julie blinked as the camera settled back on her, the menacing glare she’d been sporting completely disappearing before she managed to contort her face into looking more or less normal, though a little flustered. “He’s just a good man, okay? You don’t know him like I do. Sorry, didn’t mean to get so worked up, it’s just, you know how much I-“ Julie started, only to be interrupted by Diana’s deep sigh.

“I’m sorry, okay? I know you don’t like it when people talk poorly about others, especially when they really don’t have all the facts. I didn’t have all the facts and I’m sorry, okay? You never share anything about him and I didn’t mean to upset you, but now you know I’m gonna’ want to know all about what he’s really like, so you’d better be ready with the details,” Diana apologized.

Julie sighed, getting to her feet and stretching out her legs as she tested the fit of her slippers. “It’s okay, Diana. Thank you for apologizing and for understanding. It’s just, people like to assume things and I don’t like it and I’m not gossiping about my boss, okay? Now come on, I really need to get this wrapped up if I’m going to make it to the bakery before it closes.”

Diana hummed in reluctant agreement as she shifted in her spot on the floor, moving the camera to better focus on Julie as she took to the middle of the studio. “This really does have a wicked camera,” Diana sighed, maybe just a touch jealous.

Julie chuckled softly and took her place, her back to her friend as she settled herself up in first position. “Well, Mr. Stark knows his stuff. What can I say?”

Diana giggled behind the phone. “Oh my God, you are so hopeless. Just call him Tony, for crying out loud.”

Julie laughed, reaching her hands out to her side in a semi-circle as she then hopped up on pointe. “Get ready to hit play,” She murmured and then after a beat; “And I thinkI’d much rather call him Anthony.”

Diana’s happy laughter was then promptly drowned out by the beginning of the song she’d put on as Julie started in on her routine and Tony just sat there, not even able to absorb anything else. Not even able to really see the video screen anymore as his head swam. He bent forward over the desk, muttering to Jarvis to pause the video as he rubbed his tired eyes.

“There’s-there’s no way I heard any of that right, J. I must really be exhausted, I think I need to lie down,” He muttered, forcing himself up and away from his computer and striding towards the sofa in the corner of the workshop.

Jarvis was quiet for a moment as he shut down Tony’s workstation and dimmed some of the lights and it wasn’t until Tony was curled up beneath a couple of blankets and clinging to the edges of wakefulness that the AI finally broke the silence.

“Miss O’Donnell is very well spoken. Wouldn’t you agree?” The AI murmured.

Tony blinked, huffing out a breath. “Did I actually hear all that right? Did she really defend me or did I-did I just hope that’s what was going to happen and so that’s what I dreamed up?”

“Oh, Sir,” Jarvis sighed. “You most certainly heard her right. She did defend you, she spoke up for you and even praised-“

“Enough-” Tony muttered. “E-enough, J. I-I don’t think I can take that right now,” He whispered.

“Of course, Sir. Shall I set an alarm?” Jarvis asked.

Tony grumbled something that the AI assumed was a no. It was probably for the best that he didn’t set an alarm for the genius and instead dimmed the lights almost completely. Tony was asleep within seconds, the humming of his machines soothing him like a mother’s calming lullaby. Jarvis let him be, making sure to save his place on the video and move it from the previously designated deleted folder to his videos of Julie dancing.


	4. Four

It wasn’t until early-well, later Sunday morning-that Tony awoke and by later, he meant it was just on 7am. He’d managed to successfully get nearly six hours of decent sleep before he woke and desperately needed a cup of coffee. He’d managed to drag himself into the bathroom first at least and brush his teeth and splash some water on his face before he’d decided to make his way up to the communal floor’s kitchen. 

The Team usually gathered most days for breakfast, but Sundays tended to be the big breakfast gathering day and he wanted to get in there before they had the chance to eat him out of house and home. He knew he’d be early, they not usually arriving until around 8:30am or so, but that was alright by him. He needed coffee first, then he’d make himself a bite and maybe stick around in hopes of Steve making his famous banana or blueberry pancakes. His mouth watered at the thought and he picked up the pace towards the kitchen.

He’d barely made it to the end of the hallway and into the communal kitchen when he’d heard the lovely sound of someone singing softly and they clearly hadn’t heard his arrival. He took a few steps out into the foyer that lead down towards the inset living room and thus opened up to the kitchen on the far side. He blinked in surprise when he caught sight of who exactly had been singing.

Julie was swaying her hips along to whatever music she was listening to, her earbuds in her ears and that infernal iPod tucked into the waistband of her black capris at her lower back. He blinked, his cheeks heating when he really got a look at her. She wasn’t wearing much, that was for sure.

She was clad in a pair of black tight athletic crops. They were workout clothes, definitely and she was only wearing a thin scrap of a tank top. Sure it covered her middle and bust, but it was flowy and showed off whatever strappy sports bra she had on underneath. It was a pink one, he noted, the tank a pastel lavender to compliment it and he swallowed hard at the sight.

She really was just too beautiful. Her ash blonde hair was up in that perfect bun again and she looked happy and way too cheery for 7:00 on a Sunday morning. He blinked, taking a few careful steps towards her to see if he could figure out what she was listening to.

She tended to sing along a lot to her own music in the lab, but whenever her iPod died or she was working hands on, on a project with Tony, she’d take her headphones out and they’d chat and what have you. He always had his own music on in the lab and sometimes they’d sing along to it together. He’d been happily surprised when she’d sung along to a couple of his favourite AC/DC songs and then later, Queen. But he’d been absolutely floored when she’d sung along to Fat Bottomed Girls with him and they’d laughed stupidly for a solid ten-minutes about it afterwards.

She was an enigma of sorts to him. He was always learning more and more about her and every little tidbit he uncovered was like a precious jewel for his collection. Cheesy? Totally, but he was past the point of caring. He inwardly sighed as he stepped up the few steps from the living room into the kitchen and continued to survey her, she still completely oblivious to his presence.

“If all our life is but a dream, fantastic pose and grieve and we should feed our jewelry to the sea. For diamonds do appear to be, just like broken glass to me. And then she said she can't believe, genius only comes along in storms of fabled foreign tongues, tripping eyes and flooded lungs, northern downpour sends its love,” Julie sang softly, humming along to the next verse of the song.

He didn’t recognize the lyrics, but he thought it sounded lovely; melodic, soft and slow. He smiled fondly at her as she turned and spun, a spatula held tight in her hand and that’s when he realized she was cooking. Actually, now that he was paying attention to something other than just her, he was sure he could smell bacon and pancakes too?

He shook his head in disbelief, wondering what had prompted her to make breakfast, and not just for herself. This looked to be the beginnings of a feast. He watched as she suddenly spun again after she’d set down her spatula and picked up a bowl of what looked to be fruit salad and came face to face with him. Her eyes widened, her humming cutting itself short as she took in the sight of him and then her cheeks positively bloomed, a huge smile tugging at her lips.

“Mr Stark!” She shouted in greeting and definitely surprise.

Tony smirked, giving her a little head-tilt as he walked up towards the kitchen island. She set the bowl down on the island between them and he noted all the place settings she’d set as well. She was clearly expecting company. She quickly tugged her earbuds from her ears and pulled the iPod from her pants, shutting it off and setting it aside.

“Good morning, I see you’ve been busy,” He said, casually leaning his elbows on the countertop as he watched her.

She laughed, shrugging a bit as she turned to head back towards the stove. “Steve caught me on my way to the studio yesterday morning, told me about your Sunday breakfasts and invited me to come by. I thought I’d show up a bit early and get started on helping.”

Tony smiled at her, shaking his head. “Helping? It looks like you’re cooking for an army.”

She shrugged, smiling as she busied herself at the stove top flipping what he thought might be banana pancakes. He noted the large white casserole dish on the warming burner of the stove and saw that she had at least two dozen pancakes in it and she still had half a measuring cup full of batter at her elbow. He shook his head, coming around the side of the island to join her at the stove.

“I hope it’s enough. I’ve got bacon keeping warm in the oven, but once the pancakes are done, I’ll need to make the eggs and put on some toast,” She told him, glancing towards him as he stepped up beside her.

“I could help, if you want?” He asked, not really thinking much of it.

He knew he was a terrible cook, everyone always told him so. He tended to stick to the easy stuff like smoothies and coffee, always a pro at making coffee. But he was sure he couldn’t burn the place down just by helping her make breakfast.

She smiled, shaking her head as she looked back down at the pancakes in the frying pan. “That’s okay, you don’t have to.”

Tony rolled his eyes, knocking her hip a bit and her eyes widened for a split second before she managed to catch herself and grinned stupidly back at him…before knocking her hip against his. “Let me help. I think I can watch the pancakes if you want to work on the eggs or something?” He suggested.

“Okay, but if you burn them, I’m going to throw you under the bus as soon as someone complains,” She said teasingly, relinquishing her grasp on the spatula and handing it over to him.

He barked out a laugh, grinning at her as he took over at the stove, watching as she went to the fridge to retrieve the eggs. “Yeah, yeah, you just worry about making those eggs right. Clint is finicky with his eggs.”

Julie stopped, having grabbed a carton of eggs and turned to look at him. “How does he like his eggs?” She asked nervously. “I was going to make scrambled with a bit of milk, salt and pepper, maybe some hot sauce. Would he like that or does he like them done a certain way?”

Tony blinked at her, eyebrows furrowing at the sheer amount of concern in her voice. “What’s the matter?”

Julie pouted then, coming over to him and setting the eggs down on the counter. “I feel really bad about the other night. I just-I felt so comfortable with everyone right off the bat and I feel like I stepped out of line when I called him that nickname I really had no business using. I don’t know any of these people…but they’ve been so kind and I really do admire the Team for what they do, what they’ve done and continue to do for the people and I just-I just don’t want to feel like I’m overstepping my boundaries, Mr. Stark. You’re my boss and I don’t want to get in the way-“

“Hold up-“ Tony said quickly, raising his non-spatula wielding hand at her. “You were not out of line in the least, okay? I’d like to think that we’re not just employee and boss, you know? We’re friends, too, right?” He asked, really hoping that he’d not just shoved his foot in his mouth as it were, but when she smiled at him shyly, giving him a nod, he steamrolled right on.

“You fit in really well with the Team and I know for a fact that they took to you like a moth to a flame, okay? So you just keep being you and don’t worry about whatever nonsense you’re worrying about and you make those damn eggs just the way you said, because that sounds amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had scrambled eggs with hot sauce. That needs to be a thing. I bet the grandpa’s have never had hot sauce on their eggs, so this should be good.”

Julie laughed nervously, her cheeks heating a bit and she shook her head, turning to look down at the carton of eggs. “I’ll make the eggs with the hot sauce then and, Mr. Stark?” She prodded tentatively.

“Hmm?” He murmured, already turning back to scoop up the couple of pancakes and put them in the warming dish.

“We are friends too, not just boss and employee, okay? And…I’d like to make more friends, so don’t burn the pancakes,” She said teasingly and Tony grinned, shaking his head as he let out a very put upon sigh.

“Uh huh, you just worry about your eggs,” He muttered back, aiming for annoyed, but missing by a mile.

It didn’t take long for them to finish up the pancakes and get the eggs started and in the oven to keep warm as well. While they were busy buttering toast and sipping coffee, the Team started to filter in and everyone was pleasantly surprised to find the two of them had made breakfast together. Once they had settled down, Tony and Julie pulled all the warming dishes from the oven and set them out on the island and everyone groaned collectively, practically drooling when they got a look at smorgasbord Julie had put together.

“Oh my God!” Darcy exclaimed suddenly. “You made fruit salad with mango!”

Julie smiled, shrugging a bit. “I like mango?”

Darcy sighed dreamily, having apparently commandeered the bowl of aforementioned fruit salad while Jane, Natasha and Wanda tried to get a forkful from her at the very least. Even Steve seemed to be trying to get in on it, but wasn’t having much luck. “She is officially invited to all future Sunday breakfasts and any other day of the week breakfasts and lunches and dinners and movie nights. Just an FYI,” Darcy announced and Tony tried his very damned hardest not to grin stupidly.

Julie laughed, her cheeks heating adorably as she busied herself by the sink washing up the dishes. “Would you come sit down?” Tony sighed. “I think they can do the dishes as a thank you for the lovely breakfast you’ve made them.”

Julie shrugged a bit, but before she could voice her opinion on the matter, Bucky was speaking up. “Tony’s right, doll. Come sit down and have a bite with us and we’ll do the dishes. No need to overwork yourself for our sake,” He said sincerely, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes.

Julie stared at him and she really hoped her jaw wasn’t on the floor, because she was feeling all kinds of flustered. One of the world’s deadliest assassins had just called her doll in the most alluring Brooklyn accent and was giving her the softest, sweetest most adorable face and she was already half-way across the kitchen and moving to take a seat beside him before she realized she’d even moved; because who in their right mind could deny him anything with a face like that?

“Oh dear God,” Tony muttered. “You think his puppy-dog eyes are bad? Wait ’til Steve tries his on you.”

Julie blinked, looking towards the genius. “I totally said all that out loud, didn’t I?”

Tony simply nodded, grinning behind his steaming hot cup of coffee whilst the rest of the Team snickered. She blushed furiously, glancing towards Bucky who was looking all kinds of smug and then Steve was leaning forward from his other side and giving her a sympathetic smile. “If it’s any consolation, I fall for it nearly every time too and Tony’s right. I’m actually the best at it, ask anyone,” Steve admitted, giving her a wink.

Julie bit her lower lip hard, trying to stifle a laugh, but then the rest of the Team was grumbling their agreement, even Thor’s utterance of “Aye, it is something,” reached her ears and she shook her head in disbelief, a soft chuckle escaping her.

“Oh dear…well, let’s just hope you don’t have to use them on me, because I’m already all kinds of stupid around all of you and your sunshine smile already wreaks havoc on me. So let’s not add the puppy-dog eyes to the already perfect package that is Steve Rogers,” She said with a nervous laugh, her face all kinds of red and Tony was really becoming distracted by the way the blush was disappearing beneath her tank-top.

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh and Steve gave her a lopsided grin as he shook his head in amusement. The rest of the Team was laughing lightly and she really felt every bit the starstruck intern she’d been when she’d first met Tony Stark. She grabbed a piece of toast and shrugged, getting up from her seat. “You know what? I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day, I’d better head out to get in a workout at the studio before the days classes start.”

“Oh-“ Natasha said suddenly, head tilted curiously. “You go down to your ballet studio for your workouts?”

Julie nodded, nibbling at the piece of toast as she went to retrieve her gym bag and rolled up yoga mat she’d stowed beside one of the couches in the living room. “Yeah, cheaper than joining a gym; plus, it’s quiet and I have total use of the gym there as well as the private studio.”

Natasha glanced to Tony then and the genius cleared his throat as he cast a quick glance back towards Julie. “We actually have a gym here, you know-you could uh-use, if you want? There’s actually a fully functioning gym that the Team uses, there’s even a pool, hot-tub, sauna and there’s a smaller studio that no one really seems to use much…you’re more than welcome to try out the space, see if it suits you better…you know, so you don’t have to travel back and forth all the time,” Tony suggested, trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing.

Julie was looking to him with wide eyes. “T-that’d be okay? Wouldn’t I be in the way?”

“Not at all,” Steve said quickly. “We mainly use the sparring areas and weights, couple other random spots. But the gym’s huge, lots of room for you, sweetheart,” He winked.

Julie’s cheeks went bright red and Steve could barely keep himself from grinning as he batted his eye-lashes at her and then the moment was ruined when Tony threw a cheerio at him and he blinked in surprise. “You’re going to break her poor brain and she needs to go to work tomorrow, would you give it a rest already?” Tony sighed, already rising from his seat and heading to refill his cup of coffee.

He may have been secretly jealous that they could pull those kinds of reactions from her so easily when he felt he couldn’t even try to make those kinds of faces at her to prompt them. Steve simply chuckled, looking to her apologetically. “Seriously, you wouldn’t be in the way at all, Julie,” He reiterated.

She chuckled nervously, blinking out of her slight daze as she nodded, smiling gently as she looked back to Tony. “Well, as long as I’m not in the way…” She trailed off and Bucky smiled at her brightly.

“You won’t be, so eat your breakfast and then Stevie and I will show you the gym and studio,” Bucky said happily, motioning her back towards her chair.

She glanced at it before slowly setting her bag and mat back down, not sure if she should subject them to more of her stupidity or not. But really, what could it hurt? She sat down and Steve chuckled softly as he took a sip of his orange juice.

“Jeeze, being all healthy and going to the gym on a Sunday, you guys are nuts,” Darcy sighed and half the group grunted or groaned in agreement.

Julie laughed lightly and Bucky chuckled, casting a glance towards the brunette. “It wouldn’t kill any of you to join us once in a while for a run or spar or you know, just brush up on your self-defence,” He told them.

Jane groaned, as did Darcy and Bucky rolled his eyes. “It really won’t kill you-“ Bucky started to prod, but then Tony’s incredulous laughter drew their attention.

“That’s what you said the last time you wanted me to spar with you, out of the suit,” He whined and Bucky couldn’t help snickering.

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad-“ He started to defend and Tony interrupted him with a scoff, rolling his eyes.

“Right-“ He muttered and Steve snickered beside him.

“Buck,” Steve warned and Bucky grinned as he glanced towards his lover and then back to Tony.

“Okay, maybe it was pretty bad,” He finally relented and Tony pursed his lips as he shook his head incredulously at the super-soldier.

“Don’t listen to anything those two gym-rats say. Exercise could totally kill you,” Tony muttered in annoyance.

Julie couldn’t help laughing and shaking her head. They were definitely a fun bunch and she smiled at them sheepishly. “How about we let these guys clean up breakfast and I show you the gym and studio, Julie?” Natasha suddenly piped up, rising from her spot at the table.

Julie smiled, shrugging a little. “That’d be fine, I’m sure you two will be there soon enough,” She said, glancing between Steve and Bucky.

“We’ll be there in a bit,” Steve reassured and Bucky nodded, stuffing another piece of bacon into his mouth.

Julie smiled, glancing back towards Natasha who was watching her intently. “I’ve just got to make a quick trip to my room to change, want to come along?”

“Sure,” Julie murmured before fetching her things and casting a quick look back to Tony as the rest of the Team seemed to get back to their own conversations. “See you later.”

“Bye for now,” Tony said casually, trying not to seem too upset by her leaving; he was failing miserably, but at least she wasn’t going far and maybe if he played his cards right, he could catch her working out in the gym-

And he had to cut that lovely thought short before he got himself into real trouble. “Thanks for breakfast!” Peter suddenly called out and then the rest of the Team were shouting their thanks after her as well; Julie’s light laughter flowing back to them as Natasha led her off towards her room.

Not a minute later, Tony had several very knowing stares pointed in his direction and he fought the urge to bolt, not entirely sure what he was in for. “She’s super adorable,” Jane announced, getting up from her seat as she started helping Darcy clear away some of the dishes.

“She really is,” Darcy agreed easily, casting a glance towards Tony who started to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

Tony didn’t say anything, instead opting to bury his face in his third cup of coffee in an attempt to get out of whatever conversation they were trying to have with him. “I like her,” Thor confessed. “She makes excellent banana pancakes and Captain, dare I say it? They might even rival yours.”

Steve laughed, Thor earning a few chuckles from the girls, Clint and Peter as well. “They were actually pretty good, weren’t they, Tony?” Steve asked, turning his full attention to the genius.

Tony tried not to take a deep breath as he nodded. “They were pretty good, yeah,” He agreed quietly.

In all honesty, he enjoyed her pancakes far more than Steve’s, but he didn’t want to blurt that out first thing. She had added cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter and those just so happened to be two of his favourite spices, so of course they tasted amazing; didn’t mean he had to admit to them that they’d been the best pancakes he’d ever tasted, hence his devouring like, eight of them.

“I liked those movies she chose the other night. They were kinda’ funny,” Wanda admitted quietly, looking to Tony.

“They were hilarious,” Clint added. “Whoever thought that a monster movie with creatures shooting fire out their asses wasn’t worthy of a comedy title, I don’t know what they were smoking. But I freaking loved them,” He laughed.

The others laughed as well at that. They were pretty ridiculous and they’d all enjoyed adding their own bit of commentary to the films. Tony very pointedly did not mention that there was a television show based around the films once again.

“Well, I hope she decides to join us at our next movie night. She seems like fun,” Jane added, casting a glance once again in Tony’s direction.

He really was trying not to shrink back. They all knew and he knew that they all knew that he knew they knew. It was sort of ridiculous and he fought the urge to laugh at the idiocy of it all. He really was so transparent when it came to his feelings around his friends. Because these were his friends, not just his teammates. These were the people he fought alongside and did his best to protect and look out for each and every day. Of course they could read him like a book at this point, they’d been living together for years and it was honestly to be expected. Or at least, expected of everyone else.

He never thought that he’d get to that sort of point with the Team. Sure he cared about them, but he’d never really let himself get close to people before, not since Rhodey and Pepper. It’d happened over the course of a few years, sure, but looking at it now, he felt like it’d somehow happened over-night and snuck up on him. It made his heart ache a little bit, how much he admired and cared for these people. Because no matter what anyone else said, they’d all become family.

He glanced down into his now empty mug as he set it on the island in front of him, letting out a soft sigh as he stared at it. “She seems to like you guys enough, I’m sure she’ll be around,” He told them with a shrug, getting up from his seat.

“Don’t pull that crap with us, Tony,” Bucky sighed. “You know the only reason she’s even here is because a’ you.”

Tony chuckled drily, shaking his head as he went to head towards the workshop. “That’s true, she does work for me.”

“Not what I meant,” Bucky sighed, clearly exasperated and Tony grinned wryly over his shoulder at him.

“Doesn’t matter,” He murmured, turning as he took a few steps down into the living room.

“Yes it does, Tony,” Bruce piped up from his spot, having been immersed in a journal article but obviously paying very close attention to the topic at hand. “Don’t be stupid.”

Tony grinned self-deprecatingly, shaking his head as he picked up a stray tablet from the coffee table. “Isn’t stupid supposed to be my middle name, Brucey-bear?”

Bruce just rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation at his friend. “Where are you going anyway?” He asked. “It’s Sunday, don’t tell me you're going to coop yourself up in the lab all day instead of hanging out with us.”

Tony laughed, stepping up the few steps towards the hallway that’d lead him past their rooms and to the workshop, but before he had a chance to reply that he had intended to do just that, Peter was piping up. “How much you wanna’ bet he’s going to the gym to see if he can catch a glimpse?”

Darcy burst out laughing, unable to help herself, as did the rest of the group and Tony rolled his eyes, letting out a very put-upon sigh. “Nah, he’ll wait ’til we’re all down there in an hour and then mosey on by, pretend to be on his phone and pop in to critique our form or something as equally ridiculous,” Bucky interjected.

And now the rest of the group was really laughing, because yeah, that definitely sounded like something he’d do. Damn it, Tony thought. That was exactly what his plan had been. “For the love of-no, you know what? I’m not having this conversation. Enjoy your day, kiddies!” He hollered, slipping down the hallway, the Team’s laughter still ringing in his ears.

As soon as he was out of sight, Tony sighed deeply, looking up to the ceiling. He didn’t usually look up when he talked to Jarvis, that tended to be what every one else did, but right now, he felt like he was calling on a higher power, so he figured looking up was necessary. “Let me know when it’s safe to take a walk by the gym, J. I’m gonna be nosy as fuck, I can see it already, but maybe you could help lessen the embarrassment if there are less people present?” He asked hopefully.

“Of course, Sir,” The AI replied, sounding very amused.

Tony really wasn’t sure why he’d added the ability to inflect tone into Jarvis’ voice, perhaps to make him sound more human, but it was really starting to backfire on him because it only made him feel like he was disappointing a parent or something stupid like that. He rolled his eyes, brushing it off. “We’re gonna’ have a chat later,” He muttered under his breath, to which the AI said nothing as he made his way to the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Julie is singing in the kitchen is called Northern Downpour by Panic! At The Disco.


	5. Five

So of course Tony found himself at the entrance to the gym a little over an hour later, pretending to be busy on his phone but in reality he was totally bullshitting. He really did want to catch a glimpse of Julie if he could get away with it and not come off as a creeper. He poked his head in and was relieved only to find a few members of the Team there. Bucky and Steve spotting each other unnecessarily as they lifted weights, of course. And Natasha and Clint were busy sparring on the other side of the gym on one of the mats.

He breathed a short sigh of relief, at least the girls and Peter weren’t around. He knew they’d never let him be. These four would be bad enough, he knew, but he could handle them. It was the youngin’s that always threw him for a loop. He shook his head at the thought, sidling up to where Steve and Bucky were and casting a quick glance around the space in an attempt to find Julie.

He really didn’t have to look far. As soon as he’d looked towards the usually darkened studio room, he could see her through the glass. She was dancing and everything sort of just stopped for him. He stilled, barely three feet away from the super-soldiers and both had obviously noticed him come in and just hadn’t said hello yet; too busy trying to smother their knowing smiles. They obviously knew him too well.

But he was far too interested in what Julie was currently doing, because _Jesus Christ_ she looked beautiful. He could hear the music she was dancing to even through the closed door and it was something quick, with a lot of bass and she was just _going_ for it.

She did pirouette after pirouette, her footwork so fast and graceful and he just stopped and stared, completely dumbstruck. Until Steve pulled him from his thoughts and he startled at the blonde’s quiet voice so close to him. “You okay over there?”

Tony nearly jumped and managed to cover it with a jerky nod as he wrenched his attention from the young woman to look at Steve who had come up nearly beside him to watch her as well, having left Bucky to his weights on his own. “ _Yep_ , never better,” He managed to force out and Steve’s eyebrow raised a touch higher.

He nodded in the direction of the studio and Tony forced himself not to look. “She and Nat did some yoga for a bit and once they’d finished, she started right in on the dancing. Never seen someone quite so flexible,” Steve murmured, but then chuckled. “Except Parker, but that’s sort of a given.”

Tony laughed, but it sounded strained and he very pointedly did not look back towards the studio windows. “So, what brings you down here, Stark?” Steve said teasingly and Tony glowered, striding over towards the bench near Bucky’s head.

He sat down and Bucky threw him a cheeky grin, obviously having heard the two chatting. “Never you mind, Steven,” Tony muttered, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge and cracking it open.

Bucky chuckled, going back to his weights while Steve came over and plopped himself down on the bench next to the genius. “So, you’re clearly smitten. Why haven’t you said anything to her? Asked her on a date, even?” Steve prodded.

Tony full-on _glared_ at the blonde. “Are you _insane?_ ” He hissed. “I’m her _boss_ , not to mention like, a _bajillion_ years older than her,” He muttered petulantly.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Age is just a number, Tony-“

“You only say that because you’re a grandpa and yet somehow have the body and energy of a 20 some-odd,” Tony said in annoyance and Bucky snickered from his back.

Tony wiped some of the condensation off his bottle of water and flicked it at him, prompting the brunette to grin in response. “I’m still her boss, anyway. Don’t want to take advantage of her or anything, it wouldn’t be right,” He muttered, looking down at his feet, still very careful not to look at the woman in question who was more than likely still dancing her heart out.

Steve sighed, but then Bucky was letting out an even bigger sigh as he shelved the dumbbell and sat up, turning to give him a very flat look. “Don’t give me that crap, Stark.”

Tony rolled his eyes, throwing a hand up in a gesture that said, _what the fuck do you want me to say?_ “What _do_ you want me to say, _Bucky bear?_ She’s my intern, this shit can’t happen, _alright?_ I’ve gotta’ keep this shit on _lockdown_ and that’s that. So butt out and let me just look. It’s not like it’s hurting anyone,” He muttered petulantly.

Steve frowned, watching the exchange quietly, but Bucky’s frown was deeper, the lines in his forehead becoming more prominent and showing more of the worn and weary man that sometimes snuck to the surface on not so good days. “You sure it’s not hurtin’ anyone, Stark?” He asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

Tony’s brows furrowed and he looked to the man quietly, not quite understanding the tone in his voice. But before he’d had a moment to process and maybe try and insist no one was going to get hurt, Julie popped out of the studio, a silly elated smile on her pretty face as she practically bounced across the floor towards them. “ _Oh man!_ ” She breathed, obviously excited about something. “The floors in the studio are _amazing_ , it’s perfect for dancing,” She announced.

Tony smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he looked to her. He was relieved that she liked the space and had been clearly enjoying herself. “I’m glad you like it,” He said gently.

She beamed at him. “This’ll be so much easier than always going down to the studio to practice; especially in the winter. Sure I like to be around everyone, but sometimes it’s nice to just be on my own, you know? And I think I could totally get one of the old portable barres from the studio, so maybe I could put that in there, just out of the way,” She rushed on.

Tony tilted his head curiously at her. “I can-“ He cleared his throat a bit. “I can actually install a proper one for you, if you want?”

Julie blinked at him, her cheeks flushing. “N-no, no. You don’t have to do that.”

Tony shrugged. “I know I don’t _have_ to, but it’d be easier than you trying to lug one across from the studio. I’ll get someone to work on it ASAP.”

She stuttered for a moment, blushing furiously as she shook her head at him. “You don’t-“

“Give it a rest, Pips. I’ll have the barre put in for you,” Tony said sternly, already firing off an order to have one brought in on his phone.

She snapped her jaw shut almost immediately and nodded, her cheeks still flushed. “Okay.”

“Oh,” Steve said suddenly, drawing their attention. “When were you and Natasha going to try that hot yoga thing? I think I’d like to try it with you, if you wouldn’t mind a bit of extra company?”

Julie beamed at him. “Wouldn’t mind at all. I think she wanted to try it on Tuesday night, think you’d be up for that?”

Steve nodded eagerly. “Definitely, it sounded like fun.”

She chuckled softly. “It’s been ages since I’ve done it, but when Nat told me she likes it, I figured it’d be fun to have a small group doing it. She said she’s going to reach out to Jane, Darcy and Wanda as well.”

“That’s great!” Steve exclaimed happily and she smiled even brighter, suddenly looking down at the bottle of water Tony had set down beside him.

“I should get back to practising, but I saw you guys chatting and I thought it’d be a good chance to come grab some water and thank you for letting me use the studio…so, thank you…and do you think I could steal a bit of your water?” She asked timidly.

Tony blinked, unconsciously picking it up and offering it to her without a moment’s thought. They shared coffees and smoothies in the workshop all the time, it wasn’t like it was a big deal or anything. She beamed at him, murmuring her thanks before she took it, unscrewing the cap and taking several long pulls from the bottle.

Tony tried not to groan as he watched her throat bob…and then noticed the beads of sweat rolling down the long column of her gorgeously flushed skin. He swallowed hard and tried to avert his gaze, but failed miserably. He was saved, however, when she sighed, finishing her drink before she put the cap back on and handed it back to him; half of the bottle still remaining.

He took it mechanically, smiling awkwardly at her. “Well, I’d better get back to it. Thanks, Mr. Stark. I’ll see you later and there’s really no rush on the barre, okay?” She told him easily, already heading back towards the studio, hopping up on point and very nearly dancing her way back across the floor.

“No problem,” He barely managed to choke out.

As soon as she disappeared back inside the room, Tony let out a very desperate groan, scrubbing a hand over his face. Bucky and Steve shared a look over his head and the blonde simply rolled his eyes as Bucky bit his lower lip hard. “ _Man_ …you’ve got it _baaad_ ,” Bucky muttered.

Tony groaned again, looking up at him. “ _Don’t-_ “

Bucky sighed and Steve shook his head in annoyance. “ _Tony-_ “ Steve tried to start, but the genius stood, shooting him a glare.

“I’m not having this conversation, Steven. _Now-_ “ He said firmly, his brows furrowed in confusion. “What the hell is hot yoga?”

Bucky’s brows furrowed curiously as well and Steve looked between the pair, realizing that they both had no idea what it was. He couldn’t help biting his lower lip as he tried to stifle his grin. “It’s fun, maybe you two should come by, try or better yet, _watch?_ ” He suggested, a sly smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

Tony’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Bucky just cocked a brow at him. Steve was secretly delighted…or, not so secretly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Julie is dancing to in the studio is called Pas De Cheval by Panic! At The Disco.


	6. Six

Tony finds out what hot yoga is…so does Bucky and they’re not sure if they love it or hate it yet. They’re very conflicted about the whole thing, because there they were, being prodded along by Steve to come down to the gym to maybe participate, if they were so inclined. Both had declined, obviously. They just weren’t into the whole yoga thing and they still didn’t entirely get why you’d want it to be hot, so they figured they’d sit this one out and maybe just observe…and try and not be all creepy about it.

They failed within the first thirty-seconds.

As soon as they’d arrived, they’d been treated to the sight of the girls, all clad in exercise shorts and either just their sports bras or tight tank tops. Really left very little to the imagination. Not that they were complaining or anything, quite the opposite, actually. 

Tony was immediately flustered when he’d caught sight of Julie conversing with Natasha about what the proper temperature of the studio room should be, while wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy black _booty_ shorts and a navy blue tank top that had an almost mesh back. _Mesh,_ Tony’s brain had reiterated, _oh so helpfully_.

He blinked, quickly looking away from her as she started to turn around. He didn’t want to get caught staring so early on. He could do this…he could be cool and handle this like a _grown ass man_. Or, so he kept telling himself.

So he distanced himself a bit, catching Bucky’s gaze and jerking his thumb in the direction of the sparring mat. “Wanna go a few rounds?” He asked, aiming for casual as he tried not to look too desperate for an excuse to get away from the group of women.

Bucky blinked and then shot him a feral grin. “I’ll go a few rounds, yeah,” Bucky murmured.

Tony would regret this, he knew, but he knew he’d regret it more if he got caught staring at Julie. Unfortunately, that still ended up happening. Because no sooner had the pair started their sparring, did the girls and Steve disappear into the studio, laughing and conversing lightly together, did _both_ their attentions stray towards the now closed studio room.

They’d turned out the main lights in the room, only a couple of them remaining on at the back where the mirrors lined the wall and oh yeah…apparently it was absolutely _sweltering_ in there. Because, _lo and behold!_ That’s what _hot_ yoga was, go figure.

Bucky and Tony both relaxed from their fighting stances and turned to survey the group through the windows. It looked like Julie was going to be leading whatever lesson they’d settled on and Tony was _definitely_ going to get caught staring.

“Well, _shit,_ ” Bucky muttered, watching as Steve bent forwards in a perfect swan dive at the back of the ‘class’, his perfectly perky round behind on _wonderful_ display in his own pair of lovely short shorts.

Bucky hadn’t seen him change into those. He’d been in a pair of sweatpants on their way down, so he figured he’d had them on underneath or something. He’d also apparently decided to forgo the shirt, something Bucky was sure the girls most certainly appreciated, because he sure as hell did. He blinked, barely able to take his eyes off of his lover until he heard a sound akin to a dying animal from beside him.

He glanced towards Tony who had his hand clapped over his mouth, his brows pinched up and his cheeks flushed. He grinned, casting his gaze back towards the studio to settle upon Julie. They’d barely been in the studio for five minutes, but the glass was already starting to fog up with the heat and their combined breaths, but Bucky could still very clearly make out the young woman by the mirrors as she demonstrated a pose he’d heard was called _downward facing dog_. Steve had tried to teach him yoga a while back and although Bucky was known for his patience, any display of his lover’s flexibility pretty well shot it out the bloody window, so he’d never actually managed to pursue it.

“ _For the love of-_ ” Tony breathed, hand slipping from his mouth as he forcefully tore himself away from the sparring mat and headed for the change rooms.

“Where are you going?” Bucky inquired, raising a brow curiously as he watched after his friend.

“I need a cold shower,” Tony shot back, disappearing into the locker rooms.

Bucky snickered, shaking his head before he headed over towards the treadmills…that were lined up perfectly with the studio. He figured he might as well get a show for his patience. It wasn’t like he could run in there and tear Steve away from his workout. But after? _Oh_ , he was totally fair game. His plan unfortunately backfired not ten-minutes later when the glass had completely clouded over. _Damn it_ , he thought in annoyance, hopping off the treadmill and heading towards the leg press.

Tony emerged a couple of minutes later, looking more relaxed, but a tad guilty. Bucky chuckled under his breath, motioning for him to come join him. Tony cast a wary glance towards the studio and was a bit conflicted about the fact that he couldn’t see into the room. _Probably for the best._

“Feel better?” Bucky teased and actually almost _withered_ under the desperate look Tony shot him.

“ _No_ -“ Tony blurted.

Bucky gaze softened and he watched as Tony came and sat down on the bench beside him, grabbing a bottle of water and pretty well scowling at it as he cracked it open and took a sip. “Do you want to talk about it?” Bucky asked him sincerely.

Tony shot him a quick glance, his face doing an odd sort of thing. Something between a scowl and a grimace that Bucky thought would have been cute if there wasn’t so much pain behind the man’s eyes. “No,” Tony said firmly and they both chose to ignore the way his voice wavered and his throat clicked.

Bucky knew how stubborn Tony could be at the best of times, he wasn’t going to press right now, but he’d be damned if he’d let his friend ignore this for too long. He’d meddle, they all would, as much and as often as they could. But for now, he wouldn’t press. Tony clearly wasn’t ready to talk about this yet.

They sat in silence for a while, but then Bucky was asking if he’d mind spotting him while he lifted weights. Tony knew he was only asking so that he wouldn’t disappear off to the lab to wallow. Bucky was pretty perceptive and he clearly knew Tony all too well. So he agreed and spent most of the time flipping through emails on his phone while he stood at Bucky’s shoulder, listening to the man’s steady breaths and the whir of his metal arm, the sounds of the machinery putting him at ease.

It wasn’t until nearly forty-minutes later that the door to the studio opened and out poured the girls and Steve, all groaning and sighing loudly as they came into the air-conditioned part of the gym. “I am never doing that again!” Darcy cried, dragging herself towards one of the benches near Tony.

The others chuckled and Jane sighed deeply. “It wasn’t that bad,” She tried to insist, but then both Wanda and Darcy were groaning _very_ loudly in obvious disagreement.

“Well, I had fun,” Steve admitted and the girls all turned to survey him.

He looked too perfect for his own good apparently, barely rumpled, though his hair was sticking up all bed-headed like and he had a glorious sheen of sweat coating his chest and abs and a slight flush to his cheeks that started to spread down along his collarbones the second he realized they were all staring at him like he was a piece of meat.

Julie barked out a laugh, Tony’s gaze straying towards her as she gave the blonde a gracious once-over. “Yeah- _right_ -“ She laughed. “You actually look good after a workout, like, _edible_ , even. Not like me. I’m pretty sure I look like I’ve been run over by a bus.”

Steve grinned, shaking his head as he reached for a towel, trying to ignore the way, Jane, Wanda, Natasha and Darcy were clearly eyeing him up. “Thanks?” He offered, unable to stifle his grin as he started towards Tony and Bucky.

Bucky was also apparently looking at him like he was a piece of meat and he flushed even more so at the attention. Bucky sat up immediately, shelving his weights and staring hungrily at his lover. “You do look good enough to eat,” Bucky practically growled.

Steve blinked, flushing right down to his toes and prompting a groan from Darcy’s general direction. “Okay, _no._ You two getting all freaky in the gym is something I am not equipped to handle right now,” Darcy quipped and Bucky smirked as Steve spluttered out some kind of denial.

Bucky shook his head, getting up from his spot to give his Stevie a kiss, one the blonde quickly returned and tried _very_ hard to keep chaste. The girls chuckled softly, grabbing towels and extra bottles of water as they started for the change rooms, all except for Julie and Natasha, the two drifting over towards the mat not far from where Tony was standing.

Tony, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole exchange, still remained incredibly quiet as he tried to surreptitiously watch Julie out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to be very busy on his phone. She didn’t look like she’d been run over by a bus. She didn’t look like she’d been run over by _anything_. She looked positively glorious and his brain apparently decided that word-vomit was going to happen and he’d be _damned_ if he could stop himself.

“You don’t look like you’ve been run over by a bus,” Tony blurted, watching as Julie practically dropped to the mat and sprawled out on her back like an exhausted starfish while Natasha joined her much more gracefully at her side as she sat down next to her on the mat.

Julie laughed, turning her head lazily towards him from the mat and he gave her a lopsided grin in response. “Thanks, but even if I don’t look it, I definitely _feel_ like I’ve been hit by a bus,” She chuckled, shaking her head before letting out a deep sigh.

Natasha and the others chuckled and soon the girls were leaving and everyone else was gathering up their things to head back to their rooms to shower or change before dinner. Julie hadn’t moved from the flat of her back, much to Tony’s delight. She’d remained lying on the mat, eyes drifting shut every so often as she and Natasha talked about maybe making it a weekly thing, despite knowing it’d probably just be the two of them and maybe Steve on occasion.

Tony had been eyeing the young woman as carefully as possible, but Bucky, Steve and Natasha had been trying to stifle their grins every time they looked over to him and caught him. He was still quiet, though he responded to Bucky and Steve whenever asked something, but his attention was clearly elsewhere.

His train of thought kept circling back to the comment she’d made about her appearance and his brain kept helpfully supplying alternatives to getting run over by a bus. She had been positively _drenched_ in sweat when she’d come out of the studio, her pretty bun still miraculously in tact, but her tank top was clinging to her far more now, as were her shorts.

She looked _delicious_ , Tony’s brain had screamed at him and he was hard pressed to deny the word choice. He really wanted to lick every bead of sweat off of her lithe frame and just _taste_ every bit of skin he could uncover. Then he thought about peeling her out of those obviously damp clothes and warming her up in a shower and then maybe they could get a little frisky and _wow_ , okay, _yep_ , time to drag his brain out of the gutter and head to the kitchen before he made himself any more obvious.

“I think I’d better head over and make sure the idiots haven’t burned down the kitchen,” He muttered, turning and heading towards the door.

“What?” Steve asked curiously.

“Bruce, Thor and Barton insisted on making dinner tonight since Wilson is coming by for a visit, said they had a few recipes they wanted to try out for the occasion, so Jarvis has been supervising while we’ve all been here,” Tony told him absently.

“Oh dear God,” Bucky and Natasha both muttered.

“Yeah,” Tony laughed. “So I’d better check on them, though Jarvis hasn’t alerted us of any fires in the building, so that’s something.”

They all chuckled and Tony smirked a bit. “See you at dinner,” He called over his shoulder, disappearing out the door.

Julie blinked, looking to Natasha as she murmured, “Who’s Wilson?”

Natasha smiled, “Another Avenger, Sam Wilson.”

“You mean _The Falcon?_ ” She asked, obviously surprised.

Natasha grinned. “The one and only.”

Julie groaned, scrubbing a hand over her face. “His wings are so freaking _amazing_ , I’m going to be a total idiot with him, aren’t I?”

Natasha laughed, getting to her feet and drawing both Steve and Bucky’s attention. “It’ll be super sweet, he gets all awkward when people gush over him.”

Julie sputtered a laugh, grinning over at Steve and Bucky as they both chuckled. “He’ll stutter all over himself and you’ll say something adorable and you’ll both get along great, it’ll be fun, don’t worry,” Steve assured her and Julie grinned.

“Alright then, guess I’d better head up and get ready for dinner. But I think someone’s going to have to help me up,” Julie agreed, laughing lightly.

And then Bucky came over and offered her his metal hand. She blinked at it as if in a daze, her gaze snapping back up to meet his eyes before settling back on his outstretched hand. And then she tentatively reached out to take it. It was cool to the touch, but the solidness of the steel beneath her fingers made her feel so reassured and grounded, that she visibly relaxed. And then he pulled her swiftly to her feet. She took a deep breath as she was righted and Bucky smiled at her, pleased. He wondered if Tony would start letting her take a proper look at it, especially if she was going to be working on it, er, replacing it for him in the coming months.

He’d try and talk to Tony about it later. But for now, they needed to all go get ready for dinner and so they did. That evening they enjoyed an excellent meal with everyone and Sam didn’t miss the way Tony’s gaze kept straying to Julie or the way the conversation when he spoke to either Tony or Julie on their own, always seemed to gravitate back towards the other. He wasn’t an idiot, he saw what was going on and once he’d happily managed to get the inside scoop from Bucky and Steve, he’d hopped right on board with whatever plans to meddle there would be.


	7. Seven

For the time being, the group just did their very best to simply invite Julie to come and spend time with them whenever she could. They started eating more dinners together, breakfasts too and lunches, depending on who was around or what their schedules were like. Julie tended to be cooped up in the lab with Tony a few days during the week, though it was quickly becoming more like four or five days at a time. Not that she minded, and they’d both join the Team for dinners upon her insistence. They were both pretty bad about remembering to eat at regular meal times if they weren’t prodded by Jarvis or didn’t receive a visit from Steve or one of the other Avengers, so she figured it’d be best if they just started going to dinner as soon as they’d finished up with whatever they’d been working on.

Sometimes, however, that tended to be far past the usual dinner hour and they’d wind up eating together at nearly midnight. Julie tried to keep to a normal schedule, setting alarms on her phone and the like, but man could Tony ever be distracting. She couldn’t even begin to count the number of times she’d ended up working with him well into the evening on one of the nights she didn’t teach a class and they’d blinked dazedly at each other when they’d gone to make some coffee together and found half of the Team in their pyjamas eating their breakfasts.

So, all-nighters were a thing. The Team teased them for it and overall, everything was pretty great. And so the weeks passed by easily, quickly, even and there was really only one _teensy-tiny-astronomical sized_ ** _problem_** that Tony was trying and failing miserably to deal with. 

He liked to watch Julie in the gym. He doesn’t _spy_ on her, per-say, but he did make it his mission to meander down to the gym whenever she was in the studio practising on her own or doing some hot yoga with Steve and Natasha. Bucky usually joined him at the weights whenever they were doing their Tuesday night yoga sessions and the pair would sit and stare through the glass until it would be too clouded over to see anything worth seeing. And that’s about the time when Tony would disappear off to the showers and Bucky would try not to sigh too loudly when Tony would come back looking even more guilty than the last time.

But every time he tried to push the genius to open up a bit and just bloody _talk_ about his feelings, Tony would shut him down or shut him out…quite literally. His lab had been on lockdown for almost an entire weekend thanks to him having tried to push a little too hard. He’d since apologized and Tony had accepted it quietly…only after Julie had tried to come down to the lab first thing Monday morning and found herself locked out.

She’d been so worried, she’d called on Steve and Bucky to come with her, afraid of what she might find. Because Jarvis hadn’t been able to tell her _anything_ and that wasn’t something she’d been okay with, not one bit. Jarvis and her were buddies, but Tony came first and she was okay with that, but this was worrisome. Tony had finally appeared and let her in and had reluctantly let Steve and Bucky in as well. Steve and Julie had given them some space to talk it out and things had gone back to normal shortly thereafter, well, as normal as it could be in a Compound full of superheroes.

But weeks went by like this and dinners, Team bonding nights and movie nights and game nights and _party_ nights and the like continued to be a thing and it was all really great, really _fucking_ **_great!_** Except that it totally fucking _wasn’t_ , because Tony was going insane and he was sure he was going to spontaneously combust one of these days and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

So they’d all settled in one night to watch the first _Sharknado_ movie because it was Peter’s turn to pick and he was dying to subject the group to this level of absurd torture, apparently. It started off pretty ridiculously and they had a good laugh and so they put on the next one in the series, because they all wanted to continue to subject themselves to more undo torture, of course. Gluttons for punishment or something silly like that.

It was as they were switching to the second film when Julie got up from her spot on the sofa and groaned a little louder than strictly necessary, that everything sort of changed. Bucky glanced over at her, his brow furrowing curiously. “Are you okay?” He asked, watching in concern as she seemed to walk a touch stiffly towards the kitchen to get herself a drink.

Julie glanced over her shoulder at him, waving him off as she gave him a strained smile. Bucky’s brows furrowed even more so at her dismissal and even Tony and a couple of the others were giving her a dubious look. She didn’t _look_ entirely comfortable. She came back a couple moments later with a full cup of coffee for herself…and another for Tony…as per usual.

She handed it off to him and he accepted it easily, still eyeing her curiously as she sat down beside him…and let out an uncomfortable groan as she tried to make herself more comfortable. “You don’t _look_ or _sound_ okay, doll,” Bucky mumbled, shifting in his spot in the much coveted lazy-boy.

Julie glanced towards him, shrugging. “I’m okay, really. My legs are just a bit sore from tonight’s class. We were doing a lot of pointe and I guess I’m just a little sore,” She sighed.

Bucky frowned, getting up from his seat and prompting a few eye-brow raises. You didn’t just _get up_ from the lazy-boy. Clint was already shifting in his spot on the back of one of the sofas, ready to spring and Natasha was eyeing it stealthily from her spot just to his left and _Thor_ , well, he looked as if he were ready to bowl over everyone to get to the chair.

“I can rub them for you, I’ve been told I have magic fingers,” Bucky said with a very salacious eye-brow wiggle.

Julie stared, her jaw having dropped open a bit. “Oh, I bet they’re magic alright,” She recovered quickly, grinning at him cheekily before glancing towards a suddenly blushing Steve.

Bucky barked out a laugh, but he didn’t stop his stride towards her. “Don’t you want to find out?” He asked as he came to a standstill right in front of her, effectively blocking the screen.

She swallowed hard, shaking her head. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you, haven’t you?” She blurted and he grinned at her.

“What do you say, doll?” He asked teasingly…and then waggled his metal fingers at her.

She blinked, grinning at him cheekily as she shrugged. “Oh, _what the hell_ ,” She caved.

He chuckled and to her surprise, suddenly sat down at her feet, actually forcing her to spread her legs so that he could sit between them with his back to the couch. She flushed, laughing nervously as he grinned back over his shoulder at her and then helped her drape her right leg over his shoulder. “Just tell me if I’m going too hard or anything, okay?” He murmured, suddenly serious.

Julie blinked, shifting to sit up a bit more as she nodded, cradling her mug of coffee carefully so that she didn’t spill it on him. “O-okay,” She said tentatively and Bucky smiled before turning his attention forwards to the television screen.

And it was just as Bucky’s hands, both metal and flesh, cupped her legging clad calf and gave a tentative squeeze that three things happened. The first of which was Natasha, Clint and Thor diving for the lazy-boy, Natasha _obviously_ winning and the other two sprawled in a heap together on the floor with the group’s riotous laughter filling their ears. The second of which was Julie’s gloriously quiet moan of relief as Bucky’s hands proved to be indeed magical. And lastly, Tony’s bitten off groan in response to the absolutely pleasure filled look on Julie’s beautiful face.

And Tony was so, _so_ screwed… _again_. Because for the next twenty-minutes he was treated to the soft sounds of the woman sitting next to him letting out quiet hitching breaths while Bucky worked over her sore muscles and then moved on to her foot. She’d laughed beautifully when he stripped her sock from her foot and it made Tony smile something awful as she warned the super-soldier that it was sure to be stinky.

Bucky just grinned back at her, shaking his head. “ _Perfect_ , I’ve got a stinky foot-fetish, didn’t you know?”

Julie laughed even louder at this and Steve and a few of the girls snickered. Tony tried to smother his grin, but didn’t have to try for long as Bucky started to work her foot with the same focus he’d shown her calf and it was wiped from his face. She groaned into her now empty cup of coffee before setting it down beside her on the side table, letting out a deep sigh as she sank back into the couch cushions.

It was relatively quiet for the next little while, other than the Team’s constant bickering and exclamations about the sharks and the bad acting on screen and it probably would have continued to be relatively normal, peaceful even, if Julie hadn’t put her hand on Bucky’s head as he switched over to her left leg to massage it too. Tony blinked, watching the scene start to unfold beside him.

Bucky tipped his head back almost into her lap and she smiled down at him when he gave her a warm smile of his own before he was tipping his head forward again and returning his attention to the television. Her hand remained settled atop the back of his head, however, and Tony watched, completely mesmerized when her fingers started stroking through Bucky’s longer locks. It wasn’t done quite absently, but she appeared tentative, as if she wasn’t sure it was allowed.

But then Bucky sighed almost dreamily and let himself practically melt back against the woman, still stroking and massaging her calf all the while. Tony took a slow breath in and then released it, hoping he wasn’t going to be heard and managed a couple more for good measure. Of course it was around then that Steve caught him staring and gave him a gentle smile. It wasn’t smug or teasing, it was just a soft smile, reassuring, but Tony wasn’t quite sure what Steve was reassuring him about.

Tony quickly looked away, back to the television, but he could still see Julie’s hand, her long slender fingers teasing through Bucky’s dark locks soothingly. And he wished, he so desperately _wished_ that it could be him in Bucky’s place right now, helping to alleviate her aches and enjoying her skilled fingers carding through his own dark locks. He closed his eyes, willing himself to think of something else, but of course it didn’t work. It never worked, not where Julie was concerned.

And this night had only been the first of many more to come where she’d unknowingly torment him with something else. _Head scritches_ as Bucky had coined them, became a regular thing. Julie usually found herself seated at movie nights from then on with someone throwing themselves at her feet and offering her a leg massage knowing full well that her hands would eventually end up carding through their hair and blissing whoever was lucky enough the fuck out.

Tony was beyond envious, never managing to find the strength to throw himself at her feet, but so desperately wanting to each and every time a new member of their group sat down in front of her. It got to the point where she’d welcomely ask who wanted a head scritch that night and she’d make them switch every time they changed the movie. She didn’t want to favour anyone, or so she’d said. 

Unbeknownst to Tony, she was trying to give him an excuse to ask, to sit down so that she might card her fingers through his slightly curly locks. She wondered how it would feel beneath her fingertips, how his face would go lax and easy as she caressed him. She wanted, probably just as much as Tony wanted, and neither felt bold enough to make that first move.

It wasn’t until every other member of the Team had received nearly half a dozen head scritches a piece, that Tony finally snapped. Well, actually…it wasn’t until _Peter_ had received his pretty well _dozenth_ scritch, that Tony cracked.

He blinked, watching as Peter squirmed around on the floor, _between_ Julie’s legs as he twisted to look at her all fond and dreamy-like. “ _Ugh_ , how does that feel so good?” Peter sighed “I’ve never had anyone play with my hair before you, I don’t know how you make it so good, but I wish I could fall asleep with your hands in my hair _every_ night.”

And dear _God,_ Tony was going to lose it. He took a slow breath in and then out and tried to keep himself together and not pummel the living daylights out of the kid giving the girl of his dreams those big puppy-dog eyes. Julie laughed suddenly, drawing his attention and he watched the glorious blush spread along her cheeks.

“ _Peter_ ,” She whined. “You are definitely too young for me, sweetheart. I’ll gladly continue to give you head scritches though,” She chuckled, shaking her head fondly and giving his wavy locks one last parting tousle.

She’d taken to babying him like an older sister would. They didn’t argue or anything, just bantered and looked out for one another, teased each other as often as possible. But Peter definitely admired her and who was he kidding? Peter _totally_ had the hots for her, but she’d told him over and over again that he was just too young for her. She thought he was pretty adorable and funny and not at all smooth, but oh well. He was younger, after all.

But Tony, Tony was going to lose it and he wanted her hands in his hair _right this bloody minute_. So he cleared his throat lightly, Thor having distracted most of the group with his suggestions of what kind of movie he thought he might like to watch and they were apparently distracted enough with the movie choices, that only Julie and Peter looked to him.

“Hey Pete, think you could put on a pot of coffee for us before the next movie starts?” He asked, aiming for casual.

Peter jumped all over that, any chance to help Mr. Stark. He hopped to his feet, eager to please as he nodded. “Course, Mr. Stark.”

Tony nodded and murmured his thanks, watching as he headed over towards the kitchen, leaving the two of them in _almost_ their own private bubble. Julie was looking at him carefully as the genius turned back to face her and he was almost surprised, almost startled even, when he met her gaze. She held it and he swallowed, giving her a charming smile.

“Want a foot rub?” He managed to ask, pulling out the big guns with a raised salacious eyebrow wiggle.

Julie’s cheeks bloomed, the tone of his voice setting off a warmth in her belly as she tried to steady herself. She shrugged, batting her eyelashes teasingly as she attempted to tease back. “Want a head scritch, Mr. Stark?” She murmured softly.

And Tony’s insides melted instantly at the soft tone of her voice and he swallowed and tried to grin at her before whispering, “ _Maybe._ ”

She chuckled, shifting in her spot and motioning towards the floor where the now customary pillow sat between her feet. Tony stood on shaky legs, hoping beyond hope that she didn’t notice how unsteady he was as he took up the spot between her feet on the floor. She was barefoot, her socks having been torn from her at the start of the first film and she was wearing a pair of leggings too, as was her normal movie night attire; along with one of her many hoodies.

Tony settled down between her legs, settling his back, back against the sofa and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart and forced himself to stare ahead as Thor finally settled on choosing _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Came Peter’s tease as he returned to the living room, plopping himself back down next to Julie this time and taking up Tony’s recently vacated spot.

Tony forced himself to laugh lightly in response, casting him a very unapologetic look. Peter rolled his eyes, grinning as he settled back in his seat and Julie, Julie was biting her lower lip _very_ hard as she fought to control her suddenly rapidly beating heart. She breathed in, she breathed out and then very slowly, let her hand reach out to card her fingers through his gorgeous chocolate brown locks.

And she nearly whimpered when Tony tipped his head back slightly, his breath leaving him in a rush and his eyes falling shut. She tried to stop her trembling, growing a little bolder as she started to play with his hair, smoothing back his slightly curly locks and discovering that he had a little grey around his temples and behind his ears. Her heart fluttered at the sight and she swallowed hard, surprised when one of Tony’s hands settled atop her foot that was resting at his side.

She lifted it a little and he tentatively wrapped his calloused hand around it, his thumb stroking carefully along the underside of her arch. She nearly groaned, her own eyes fluttering closed as she got lost in the feeling of his skilled hands, both of them, now massaging her foot.

She forced her eyes open to stare ahead of her, but instead of watching the film, her eyes settled back on Tony’s mop of hair as her fingers slipped through it easily. It was so soft, bouncy too. She’d given every one of her new friends here at the Compound head scritches and while they all had lovely hair, none of them had hair like Tony’s.

She bit her lower lip, unable to help herself as thoughts of what it might be like to just _tug_ on it passed through her mind. She nearly gasped at the heat that rushed through her at that, her cheeks heating so quickly and she glanced around to see if anyone caught the look on her face. She was sure it’d been a doozy. She thought she was in the clear, but of course that’s when Bucky turned to look at her, giving her a very knowing, but not unkind, smile.

She quickly averted her gaze, trying her hardest not to give herself any more away. She thought she’d managed well enough for a while, keeping her feelings for Mr. Stark to a friendly sort of relationship, never hinting at wanting more, at liking him more than a friend. She knew she was failing hardcore at the moment and she _prayed_ no one would call her out on it. She wasn’t sure she could deal with that right now…or ever, really.

She inhaled slowly and let her gaze settle back on the television where the next movie had started and the sharks were back. She inwardly groaned, not sure how she was going to manage to pay attention with the feel of the genius’ hands on her foot and the way his hair felt as it passed between her fingertips. She bit her lower lip gently and shifted a little in her spot only to have Tony shift too, turning slightly to his right as he focused on rubbing her foot with a skill that definitely made her turn to putty in his hands.

She could feel the work-worn, yet smooth callouses on his hands sliding against her soft, supple skin and it was driving her mad. She really had no idea how she was going to get through another film without letting on how affected she was feeling from a simple foot-rub. She inhaled slowly, her eyes flickering down to where his cheek had started to press against the inside of her knee as he relaxed.

Her gaze settled back on the way her hand looked tangled up in his hair and _oh God_ she loved the way the bit of silver in his hair stood out when she pushed his hair away from his ears. She had to stop the shudder that wanted to wrack its way through her entire _being_ at that. She’d never really been attracted to older men before. She’d honestly never really been attracted to many men in general before either. So she’d felt a touch confused about it for the first little while, trying and failing to understand what this whole attraction thing with Tony was about in the first place.

She wondered if she was only attracted to him in the beginning because he was Tony Stark, but that was quickly dismissed when she realized she actually _enjoyed_ spending time with him. The snarky billionaire and the incredible genius, not to mention the man behind _Iron Man_ himself. Mr. Stark was an incredible man and apparently every part of her thought so as well. She’d just been surprised that not only the intellectual part of herself had been attracted to him from pretty well the start, but the physical too.

He was a good looking guy. _Okay_ , that may be a bit of an understatement. He was _gorgeous_ and funny and so snarky and spunky and _dear God_ she was way in over her head with this. This was Tony _fucking_ Stark! And she’d thought she’d finally gotten over the whole Tony _fucking_ Stark thing, apparently not. He exuded a confidence she couldn’t even begin to fathom and a sexiness she wasn’t even sure he was aware he possessed-ah, that might not be correct. He was probably all too aware that he was sexy and used it to his advantage whenever he pleased.

_But that isn’t exactly true, is it?_ She wondered. He’d never made a pass at her, never made her uncomfortable or hit on her or anything, really. She was a little disappointed by that. She’d heard about his charm and yeah, he definitely was charming, but not in an overtly sexual way, at least not with her. Tonight had been the first time he’d aimed for a sort of salacious comment towards her when he’d asked her if she’d like a foot-rub, but that had been completely teasing. She knew that he hadn’t actually meant for it to be a come-on. He was only teasing her…and she had to admit, she did love that about him.

He liked to tease and she liked to tease him back. They were good together. And _oh_ , that was a dangerous thought. She blew out a breath as the man at her feet shifted and moved on to her other foot, tucking up back between her knees and resting his cheek against the side of her other knee now. She swallowed hard, trying not to let out the shuddery breath that was trying to escape her chest as his fingers closed around her ankle and squeezed briefly.

She tipped her head back slightly, nearly forgetting herself for a moment as the tips of his fingers grazed along the inside of her arch and it should have tickled, but she realized that she was so turned on that it just sent warmth spreading through her, right into her core. _Oh dear God! Get a handle on yourself!_ She cried out internally, snapping back to reality and willing the heat from her cheeks.

She ultimately failed and forced herself to simply stare ahead at the television, trying desperately to ignore how the ache between her legs only grew the more he touched her. By the time the movie was getting close to its end, Tony was breathing steadily as his thumbs caressed over the top of her foot, over and over and over again.

It was comforting, as if he’d forgotten he was still holding onto her and was rubbing his thumb back and forth absently while he watched the movie. But in reality, it was anything but an absentminded gesture. He was focusing on his breathing, trying to keep it slow and even and radiate a sort of calm that he did not feel _at all_. He felt as if he were burning up from the inside out and he was desperately trying to keep himself under wraps and felt as if he were failing miserably.

He was sure his cheeks were flushed and if anyone were to make eye contact with him, he’d be hard-pressed to explain away the darkness and hunger he was sure was lurking there. He bit his lower lip, letting his eyes close for only a moment as Julie’s hand carded through his hair again, the tips of her fingers caressing the sensitive shell of his ear and he suppressed yet another shudder at that.

He was more than half-hard in his jeans from her gentle caresses and every time she scratched her nails lightly along his scalp, he had to fight the urge to pant at the glorious licks of lightning that raced down his spine. But it wasn’t until her fingertips slipped down the nape of his neck that he found his control slip for an instant and he let out a shiver that bordered on violent. He nearly gasped at the sensation, but then Julie’s hand stilled…before she calmly slipped her hand to press her palm against the back of his neck, in a light hold.

It was such a possessive and yet tender grip and he tipped his head forward slightly, completely lost in it and he’d almost missed her murmured, “Cold?”

He blinked and nodded, not trusting his voice for a moment and then she was pushing a blanket over his shoulder and he moved to drape it over himself. The rest of the movie passed by without further incident, Julie’s hand remaining in his hair but just petting lightly now while he let his hands rest looped idly around her left ankle.

His erection had finally flagged enough, though his heart rate hadn’t and he’d decided that as soon as the movie was done, he was going to make a break for the lab. And make a break for it he did. No sooner did the credits start, did Tony fling the blanket from his frame, hastily getting to his feet and just about startling Julie out of the light almost trance like state she’d managed to put herself in, in an attempt to calm down.

“ _Hey,_ so I totally just realized that I left something on in the lab and it’s not the kinda stuff you just leave on unattended. Could burn the whole place down, _actually_ , so I’m gonna’ go check on that and probably call it a night, but you guys enjoy the next one- _movie_ -and I’ll see you later-“ He rushed to explain, having dropped the blanket he’d been using right into Julie’s lap and was already making a hasty retreat across the living room towards the hallway that would take him to his workshop.

The group mumbled and complained that he was leaving on bonding night, but let him go nonetheless, waving and saying their goodnights to him before he disappeared around the corner; apparently having missed Julie’s longing puppy-dog eyes trailing after him, too afraid to look at her in case his face did something odd as he suspected it was, _er,_ might.

And the second Tony was sure to be out of earshot, all eyes turned to survey her. There was a low whistle from beside her and Julie startled in surprise, not realizing she was currently the centre of attention. She blinked as she glanced around the little group and then managed to blush ridiculously hard when she took in all of their knowing stares.

“ _What?_ ” She said before she could even think about stoping herself.

Clint snickered from his spot next to Natasha and she shot him a warning glance before her gaze was sweeping towards Steve who was clearing his throat gently. “Something you want to share with the class, Miss O’Donnel?” Steve asked her quietly.

Julie bristled, rising from her seat and attempting to tidy up their usual amount of snack mess from the table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, _Mr. Rogers_ ,” She countered, still busy re-organizing some of the cups and half empty bags of treats while studiously avoiding their gazes.

Steve and Bucky rolled their eyes in unison, but no one commented on it. “Come on, Julie. You can talk to us,” Steve assured and she huffed, shooting him a very unimpressed glare.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing I need to share with, _the class_ , as it were. Now, are you going to help me clean up this mess? I’m pretty sure you had your hands in at least half of these bags, _Steven,_ ” She stated calmly, but the underlying threat was there; _drop it or so help me-_

“Oh _man-_ “ Clint groaned. “The level of sass is _killing_ me.”

Peter laughed and she shot daggers in his general direction until he quieted, still grinning and trying to hide it, before she was turning her murderous stare on Clint. Clint shivered, immediately looking to Bucky. “You been giving her pointers? Pretty sure that’s the look I’m always giving you shit for only now it’s on her pretty face-“

“Can it, Barton. Before I _really_ give you something to complain about,” Bucky mock threatened, fighting back a grin of his own; Clint was totally right, her murder face was definitely Winter Solider worthy.

“ _Guys-_ “ Darcy started, trying to get the men back on track and prompting Steve to clear his throat, looking to Julie in an attempt to start over.

But Julie was still looking murderous and now she was turned and staring straight at him, arms crossed defiantly in front of her chest, hip cocked and such an adorable scowl on her face, he wasn’t sure he stood a chance. He cleared his throat again and one of her eyebrows ticked up in challenge.

“What I meant to say was, if there is _anything_ you want to talk about with us, _any_ of us, you know that you can, _right?_ ” The blonde said sincerely.

Julie’s scowl lessened considerably then and she pushed out a breath, arms slowly lowering in defeat as she nodded dejectedly. “I do know that… _sorry_ , I just-“

“Don’t worry about it,” Steve reassured her, giving her one of his sunshine smiles that instantly made her shoulders drop and an audible sigh escape her as she looked to him.

“Thank you and I’m still sorry, didn’t mean to get all murdery on you guys,” She mumbled and somehow managed to look about ten years younger as she shuffled her feet and went back to tidying up some of their snacks.

“You did look a little bit murdery,” Bucky agreed with a snicker and she smiled sheepishly in response.

“I was a little bit terrified, not gonna’ lie,” Clint announced and the group laughed lightly.

She apologized again, chuckling softly as she folded up yet another bag of half finished chips. “Leave that alone for now and sit down and watch another movie with us,” Steve admonished gently, shaking his head as he watched her busy herself.

She sighed, flopping back down next to Peter on the little couch as she nodded. “Okay, okay,” She caved and before she could blink, Steve was sitting at her feet, nestled between her knees, head tipped back and looking up at her expectantly, obviously waiting for a head scritch.

She laughed, the others snickering softly and she couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “You just wanted me to play with your hair,” She said petulantly, bottom lip caught in a pout.

Steve snickered, grinning fondly at her as she carded her fingers through his hair, only to give his head a light shove forward so that he could better see the television as the next movie started up. They were quiet for no less than thirty-seconds before Steve let out a sigh, hands having started kneading the muscles in her calf.

She was already turning to jelly and she looked down at him curiously. “What’s the matter?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing really, just thinking about something,” He admitted.

Julie’s head tilted curiously. “What about?”

Steve chuckled low in his throat, tipping his head back nearly into her lap and giving her a warm smile and asked, “Just wondering if Tony’s hair is every bit as soft as you thought it would be.” 

“ _Oh_ , impossibly somehow more, actually…” She confessed, nearly gushing with the happy flutter in her chest at the fact that she now had this wonderful piece of information…and then she realized what she’d said.

Steve’s smile was wickedly devious and she groaned loudly, practically shoving his head off her lap and trying to flee the scene. She was blushing furiously as she managed to get up from her spot, vaulting over the back of the couch as she made a break from the living room, the entire Team’s happy laughter following her and Steve calling out apologies.

“Save it, Steven! I don’t want to hear another word out of you!” She called over her shoulder as she fled. “The world has got it all wrong about you, _I swear_. No one would ever believe me if I told them you were a right jerk at the _worst_ times!”

Steve had his face buried in his hands as he tried to stop his snickering, but to no avail. “He’s really sorry!” Bucky called out after her in his defence. “He’s all choked up about it, _honest_ -“ He tried to cover, also attempting to calm his snickering down.

“Don’t you give me that crap, _James!_ ” Was the last they heard from her as she disappeared off to take the stairwell instead of the elevator.

When they’d all settled down enough, Bucky grinning at Steve as he wiped at his wet eyes. “She’s going to be so mad at you tomorrow, you know you’re going to have to make her strawberry pancakes now,” Bucky snickered.

Steve rolled his eyes, but conceded the point, shaking his head as she looked to his lover. “Man, Buck. She first named you and everything too. Don’t think you’re getting out of this any easier’n me.”

Bucky spluttered, it just dawning on him that yeah, she had. “She called you by your full name _twice_ though,” He pointed out.

Steve grimaced. “Yeah, I’m in more shit than you.”

“You bet yer’ ass you are,” Bucky muttered, grinning dopily fond and amused at his lover.

The others were grinning at the pair of them, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. So, _Operation_ _Get Tony Jealous of Everyone Else Getting Head Scritches_ was a success. _Excellent._


	8. Eight

Steve didn’t get to make her strawberry pancakes the next morning…or the morning after that for that matter. There’d been a call to Assemble when a known vacant Hydra base was scheduled to be destroyed, only to have it somehow not be so vacant anymore when SHIELD demolition crews had shown up. 

So the Team had set out without a moments notice early Saturday morning and now it was well into the night on Sunday that it was already technically early Monday morning territory and still no word on when the Team would be back. And that’s why when Bucky made his way to their common floor’s kitchen to grab a few bottles of water and a half a dozen power bars, he was surprised to find Julie-maybe not wide awake-but awake nevertheless.

She was sitting with her back to him on one of the stools at the kitchen island, arms stretched out in front of her with her chin resting against the marble top as she stared wide eyed at the screen of her tablet clutched in her hands. “Julie?” Bucky called softly, surprised to see her up at such an hour and by herself in the kitchen no less.

Her entire body jerked at the sound of his voice and she whirled, tablet flying out of her grip. He didn’t startle at the unexpected response and simply snatched the tablet out of the air before it could hit something. She swore, scrambling off her stool to rush towards him. “I’m so sorry, Bucky!” She apologized, looking up at him with wide, bleary eyes.

And now that he could see her properly, he saw just how tired she actually looked. Her eyes were red-rimmed and there were definitely bags under them and there was a large black smear across the top of one of her cheeks and across her forehead. Her hair was down in loose waves, but it looked almost stringy in parts and she wore her usual lab grubbies that he’d seen her in enough; but she just looked so much worse than he’d ever remembered seeing her before, even after one of her creating binges with Tony.

“ _Hey,_ it’s okay,” He said softly, as if attempting to calm a startled deer.

She looked panicked and her eyes were so wide and they were starting to well up with tears. “What’s the matter?” He asked nervously, eyes flickering over her frame to make sure that she wasn’t hurt or anything.

“I was so _worried_ -“ She breathed, hands raised as if to touch him, just to make sure that he was real and here and _safe._

Bucky blinked, his flesh and blood hand moving to motion her closer as realization dawned on him. “ _Julie_ -“

Her lower lip trembled and she reached out to him, only to be swept up in a hug, his strong arms enveloping her small frame and holding her close. He could hear her sniffling, attempting to hold back her tears and Bucky tipped his head up to the ceiling in hopes of managing to get himself together enough to comfort her with actual _words_.

“Everything’s _fine_. Everyone is _fine_. We’re all back safe and sound, _I swear_ , sweetheart,” He finally managed to get out, pressing a kiss into her hair.

She nodded against his chest, realizing belatedly that he was still in his tactical gear, but didn’t dwell on it and then she was pushing him back slightly so that she could look up at him. “E-everyone’s okay? Where are they?” She asked nervously, gaze flickering off behind him in hopes of seeing someone else.

Bucky let her slip out of his grasp a bit, his metal hand still holding onto her tablet as he watched her. “They’re all getting checked out in medical. Just minor scrapes and bruises, that’s all, I promise.”

“M-Mr. Stark too?” She asked, her eyes growing rounder and more doe-eyed by the second.

Bucky huffed before he could stop himself. “ _No_ , he and Steve are in the workshop trying to get Tony out of the damned suit.”

She blinked at him in confusion. “He can’t get out of the suit?”

Bucky shook his head, rolling his eyes. “No, idiot took a hit and the suit got a bit dented and now it won’t open properly. But Steve’s got it covered, nothing a crowbar and a bit of elbow grease can’t handle.”

The more he went on, the more he realized that he should have probably just kept his mouth shut, because the panic and worry was back in her eyes and they were going all glossy and this was bad, this was _so_ bad. Before he even had a second to reiterate that Tony was okay, that everyone was _okay_ , she took off.

“Ah, _shit-_ “ He muttered, rushing off after her.

She was surprisingly fast for such a small woman and Bucky would admit to anyone who asked that he sort of envied the grace with which she pretty well _vaulted_ over both the sofa _and_ the coffee table in an attempt to get to the secure stairwell that would lead her directly to the workshop. He skidded around the corner, the door to the stairwell slamming against the wall with a strength more than he thought she was capable of, the data pad beeping with recognition of her handprint in his ears. He slipped through before it had a chance to close and was just in time to see her leap over the railing and land flawlessly on the next landing, only to do it _again_ for the next one.

“Jesus _Christ_ -has Parker been teaching you _Parkour?_ ” Bucky tried to joke, already booking it after her and doing the same. “You got a death wish!?” He shouted at her as more of an afterthought, but she didn’t even spare so much as a glance in his direction before she was flinging open the stairwell door and rushing towards the glass doors that led into Tony’s lab.

He caught up with her just as she pressed her palm to the data reader, the glass doors sliding open smoothly, but then she froze, stuck motionless in the doorway. Her chest had been heaving upon her arrival, breathing harshly from her race to get to the lab, but now, now she wasn’t breathing anymore.

Bucky nearly collided with her, stopping just short of running into her and looking her over curiously. But then his gaze drifted further into the actual workshop and _ah_ , that’s why she stopped. Because _lo’ and behold!_ There was Tony sitting on the edge of his workbench, legs still half stuck in the Iron Man armour, his bots doing their best to deconstruct it, while he sat still, _for once_. But the other half of him was clad in only his black flight suit, which was unzipped and folded over his hips, arms out and a hole the size of a fist torn through the midsection where it looked like a piece of metal had pierced it.

_Yep_ , _definitely a piece of metal_ , Bucky thought idly, his gaze catching on the glinting silver of a piece of steel sticking out of the genius’s side. Bucky breathed in nice and slow, hoping not to spook Julie at all, but he _really_ wanted to get her out of here, but he figured it was sort of a lost cause at this point as Tony and Steve had obviously noticed their arrival and were staring at them like two kids caught stealing cookies out of the proverbial cookie jar. 

Only Steve wasn’t holding a cookie, he was holding a fucking _crowbar_ and Tony wasn’t holding a cookie _either._ He was holding a pair of fucking _pliers._ He was going to kill them _both_ for putting her through this as soon as he got her out of there.

There were suit pieces scattered all around them, Steve having obviously been successful with the crowbar and most likely his bare hands somewhere in there too, but this was just _unacceptable_. Bucky was going to have _words_ with them, _oh_ _was he ever_. No sooner did he open his mouth to speak did he wish he’d actually managed to say something sooner, or at the very least, tried to save not just Julie from this, but Tony too. Because Tony didn’t wear much under his flight suit and was currently bare chested and _would you look at that_ , the Arc Reactor was still glowing brightly. _At least that’s a plus,_ he thought wryly.

Julie’s breath left her in a rush at the sight the two men made. She inhaled shakily in an attempt to calm herself down, but she was sure they could see the absolute _panic_ that she felt spreading all over her face. “ _Tony-_ “ She breathed into the near silence of the workshop and then she was _moving_.

Before any of them could come to their senses and actually _do_ something, maybe steer her out of the workshop or _anything at all, really;_ she was within arms reach of Tony, who looked startled and confused and a touch panicked over the fact that she could _see_ him. _All_ of him, kind of. The Arc Reactor was what he was mainly worried about and the mess of scarring that surrounded it. It wasn’t exactly pretty, he knew that and would always be the first to admit it.

Tony’s eyes widened comically so though the second she breathed his name. He’d never heard her call him by his first name before and he really did like it or at least, he thought he’d like it much more, if her voice wasn’t laced with so much worry and sadness. “H-hey Pips,” Tony said nervously, trying to school his face into something more neutral and shifting in his spot only to hiss in discomfort when the piece of metal shifted inside him.

Her delicate hands immediately came up into his field of vision and for a second he held his breath, wondering if she was going to touch him. They hovered there in the space between them and he watched as her panicked gaze slipped down to where he was probably bleeding and where that stupid piece of metal was wedged under his skin. He _really_ didn’t want her to look at that.

“Eyes up here, Pips. Don’t look at it, I’m fine, _honest_. It’s just a flesh wound,” He rushed to assure.

She let out a little hurt sound, but quickly looked up at his face, trying her hardest not to let her eyes wander back over his chest. And now that Tony could actually focus on her face and not the overwhelming urge to panic over the fact that the Arc Reactor was out in the open between them, he realized just how bloody _tired_ she looked.

“You look like shit, by the way,” He blurted before he could help himself, his usual urge to poke her getting the better of him.

The startled bout of laughter that escaped her made his lips quirk up in a half smile. “Y-yeah, _probably._ Haven’t showered or slept in-“ She grimaced, blinking and looking around for the time, only to remember that Tony didn’t permit clocks in the workshop.

“44 Hours and 17 minutes,” Jarvis intoned with a deep sigh.

Tony blinked, wondering why the hell she hadn’t slept and was pretty well saved from wondering much longer. “I was so, _so_ worried,” She managed to whisper, eyes as round as dinner plates and _oh shit_ , those were _tears_.

Tony swallowed hard, blowing out a breath. “Y-you didn’t have to worry, Julie-“ He started but cut himself off as soon as her face started contorting into something that resembled frustrated disbelief.

“What do you mean, _I didn’t have to worry?_ Of _fucking_ ** _course_** I was worried about you guys! You were up against _Hydra_ for fuck’s sakes and fucking _Jarvis_ wouldn’t give me any details because I don’t have _clearance_ , and I’m still mad at you, _by the way!_ ” She suddenly shouted, glaring at the nearest camera and Tony swore he felt the AI’s presence wither under that stare. “And the news is fucking _terrible_ , all the coverage I managed to find was just making it harder and harder for me to breathe and I just-I _saw you_ _get_ ** _thrown_** _into that_ ** _building-_** “

She was nearing hysterical at this point and Tony quickly reached out and grasped her shoulders, pliers still clutched in his hand. “ _Breathe-_ “ He said calmly, watching as some of the panic in her eyes started to recede.

He took a deep breath in himself once she managed to do the same a couple of times and he gave her a reassuring smile. “First of all, I’ll give you _limited_ clearance as soon as I have a word with Jarvis and Steve about what you are allowed and not allowed to know so that J never leaves you in the dark again. Secondly, _YouTube_ is a bad, _bad_ thing- _believe me_ -but the _news?_ So, _so much_ _worse._ They over exaggerate and make everything sound so dramatic and that hit was nothing, _I swear_ -“ He went on, looking over her shoulder to see Bucky gesturing with the tablet he’d brought along with him.

There was a video playing on loop and he held it up higher for Tony to see and _yep_ , there was that hit he took and there was the building that _totally_ got in _his_ way. It really did look a lot worse on camera. He huffed, returning his gaze back to the worried woman in front of him, but she wasn’t looking at his face anymore, gaze having strayed back down to his wound. He swallowed hard when he saw how pale she seemed to be getting.

“I’m _fine,_ ” He said quickly. “It’s barely a few millimetres beneath the skin and I’m just going to pluck it out and have Steve stitch me up and I’ll be good as new!”

Julie’s gaze slowly shifted to follow the length of his side, noting the discolouration that was spreading over his right side up along his ribs, that she was sure would be turning black and blue in the coming hours. But then her gaze flickered across his chest and she really did try not to dwell on the Arc Reactor. She’d known about it for a while, always saw it peeking under his t-shirts or tanks, but she’d never _seen_ it, only heard about it a little.

And it was _gorgeous_ , if a little terrifying to look at, not in a bad way though, not really. She knew that there was so much power in it, so much technology and yeah, it was totally something she wanted to get her hands on but his Reactor technology was heavily classified and pretty well no one had access to it but him. She was glad for it, knowing that at least this way he’d be protected. But she was still admittedly curious. The scars themselves looked tender, but the skin was completely healed from what she could see. She just hoped he wasn’t in pain because of it.

He shifted uncomfortably under her stare and then hissed through clenched teeth at the pain in his side and her gaze snapped back up to his face. “I-it’s not bad?” She reiterated doubtfully.

Tony nodded to reassure her, trying not to move so much. “Not bad at all, doesn’t hurt unless I move too much. But it won’t hurt much at all once I get the metal out.”

She nodded, apparently only a bit more satisfied with that information. “So…you’re okay?” She said slowly, still a bit skeptical and Tony nodded.

“I’m okay, _Steve’s_ okay, _Bucky’s_ okay, the whole _Team’s_ _just_ _fine_ ,” He said earnestly, his hands squeezing her shoulders briefly before reluctantly letting her go.

He watched then as her eyes went all big and round again and _Christ_ , she still looked so damned worried and then she turned to look at Steve…who was smiling sheepishly from beside them, while tucking the crowbar as inconspicuously as possible behind his back as he ducked his head; apparently aiming for shy and hoping his puppy-dog eyes would work on her for just a minute or two longer.

But then her eyes widened as she apparently found the brain power to take in the sight of him with more than just a passing look to make sure he was still all together. And she really wished she hadn’t had the brain power left, because he was _covered_ in blood. “ _Steve_ -“ She gasped and his eyebrows rose, watching as her gaze swept over him.

He realized belatedly that he probably looked filthy standing there in his suit, cowl at least off and shield settled against one of the desks, but he figured so did Bucky, and Tony didn’t exactly look like a prized pig at the moment; all of them covered in sweat, blood and- _oh shit-_ the blood. He inhaled sharply as realization hit him and he glanced to Bucky worriedly, but Bucky seemed to realize it at about the same time that Tony did and they both started talking over each other.

“ _It’s not his-_ “ Tony rushed out and at the same time Bucky breathed, “ _It ain’t his-_ “

But Julie was near tears again and paling fast and Bucky stepped in closer as he watched her sway, even Tony’s arms coming up to try and help steady her if need be, but she’d moved a bit out of his reach when she’d turned to look at Steve. “I’m _fine!_ ” Steve rushed to assure her. “None of this is mine, not a scratch on me, I _promise_ -“ He insisted, stepping into her space and putting his hands on her arms to steady her while Bucky pressed his flesh and blood hand to the small of her back.

She nodded, if still a little frantic looking. Steve shook his head, desperately wanting to wrap her up in his arms, but he didn’t want to get more blood on her-and _what?_ She had blood on her, all over her front, actually. He blinked, his gaze following down over her middle and his brows pinched up in concern. When she realized he was looking at her oddly, however, her own gaze shifted to look down at herself.

Her lips parted, her face going even paler as she saw the random splotches of blood on her grey t-shirt and when Bucky seemed to realize what had happened he tipped her chin up quick and took a deep breath. “I hugged you and got some dirt on you, that’s all, Julie. Deep breaths, doll. Do you have a tank on underneath?” He asked her calmly.

She nodded jerkily, barely managing to keep herself upright. “Okay, good. I’m going to pull your shirt off over your head and get rid of it, just close your eyes for a second,” Bucky told her gently.

As soon as she closed her eyes, Bucky nodded to Steve and grasped the back of the neck of her t-shirt. She raised her arms slightly and then Bucky was pulling it carefully off over her head with Steve’s help. They managed to not get a speck of blood on her as they pulled it off of her and Bucky tucked the shirt into one of his back pockets to deal with later.

She was breathing a little more shallowly now and Steve tried to rub her upper arms to get her to come back into the moment. “There you go,” He said gently, watching as she blinked a couple of times. “We’re all good, okay? Now, I really think you need to head up to bed and get some sleep, sweetheart.”

She nodded, hands coming up to pat lightly at his biceps and he really hoped she didn’t get any blood on her with the motion. She looked so beyond exhausted and he desperately needed her to stop looking so worried and sad and _Christ,_ okay, her puppy-dog eyes were way worse than he was sure even his were.

“O-okay,” She whispered, nodding but making no move to move for a moment or two.

Steve watched her worriedly for a moment, still rubbing her arms and watching as a bit of colour returned to her cheeks. She was then turning and letting go of him, his own hands slipping from her as she stepped out of his grasp, looking towards Bucky.

The brunette was looking at her nervously, desperately wanting to make sure she was okay and see that she made it up to her room alright, but before he could offer to walk her up, she was patting him on the flesh and blood arm as well as she slipped past him.

“I’m glad you’re all okay,” She murmured, turning back to look at them over her shoulder, her gaze sweeping over Bucky and then Steve, only to linger on Tony.

The genius watched her looking at him, at his wound, then his chest, sweeping over his frame only to settle on his concerned stare. They locked gazes and she breathed out slowly. “If you need a pair of hands…to help-“ She started, casting a sad look towards the scattered pieces of the red and gold Iron Man armour. “Put Iron Man back together…don’t be afraid to ask.”

Tony nodded, brows pinching up slightly. “Thanks…just might take you up on that,” He sighed, watching as she nodded and then continued towards the door.

They were silent as they watched her step through the doors, hand pressing against the glass as she used her weight braced against it to turn and head towards the elevator. Tony blew out a pained breath as soon as he heard the elevator doors close, hunching over and then hissing in pain when the piece of steel tugged at his skin. He looked down at it, anger welling up, his temper flaring and he growled, grip tightening around the pliers still in his hand and then just _lost it_.

Before Bucky and Steve had a moment to react, Tony was gripping the bit of steel with the pliers and wrenching it free of his side. He shouted, his voice trailing off into a hoarse groan and the super-soldiers grimaced, Steve quickly grabbing the first aid box and tearing it open, pulling out the necessary supplies. When he stepped up closer to try and help him, Tony pretty well hissed at him, hand flying out to grab a wad of gauze only to shove it against the now trickling wound, pliers and steel clattering to the workbench beside him.

He heaved in a lungful of air, applying pressure to his wound as his vision swam, his gaze sweeping over the workshop floor, taking in the state of his suit. Hopefully it only looked worse than it was. He shook his head, trying to calm his breathing before he looked up, only to find both Steve and Bucky looking at the piece of steel at his side. He let his own gaze stray towards it and swallowed hard. It had been more than a few millimetres under the skin, he quickly realized. He didn’t think it’d been _that_ deep though. It was at least an inch in and he was thankful it hadn’t actually punctured any major arteries.

He blew out another breath, blinking away his sudden angry tears, feeling his throat start to close up, a lump lodging itself firmly therein. He shook his head, dragging his gaze up to meet Bucky’s worried stare. “ _That’s_ why I didn’t want to care,” He stated coldly, voice shaking, gaze following the path Julie had taken.

Bucky swallowed thickly, gaze flickering towards Steve who was still holding some of the first aid supplies and watching them both nervously. “ _Tony-_ “ Bucky tried to start, but the genius shook his head firmly.

“ _No_ , you know what? You wanted to know why I didn’t want to care about her, _Buckaroo_ , so I’m going to tell you-“ He snapped. “I didn’t want to let her in, _okay?_ I didn’t want to open myself up and let her in!” He cried.

Bucky’s brows pinched up. He didn’t want Tony to do this now, he’d been waiting for it to happen for months, but not like this. Not when he was in pain, angry, hurt and upset. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t _fair_.

“I can’t have nice things, _James_ ,” Tony said coolly “I don’t deserve them, never have and I never will. I’m a walking fucking _disaster-_ I’m a spoiled rich kid with a fancy suit of armour trying to right too many wrongs in a world that doesn’t give a flying _fuck_ about me so long as I keep pumping out the latest and greatest tech.”

Bucky’s eyes were pleading as he looked to the genius. “That’s not true, Tony-“

“The hell it isn’t!” Tony snapped angrily. “No body _really_ cares about me, Bucko. They’re not supposed to really care about me either. It’s part of the allure, you know the whole ‘ _get to know Tony Stark and he’ll dazzle you and then kick you out on your ass, but hey, at least you had fun, right?’_ They don’t care about me and I don’t care about them, that’s it, there’s supposed to be nothing to it.”

He hung his head, shaking it as he looked down at himself, still half in the suit, the bots having been waved off the second he’d seen Julie at the door. “If I care about her, then she’ll care about me and…and that’s not fair, because I don’t deserve to have nice things. I fuck shit up all the time, just look at what happened with Pep and Rhodey, all that shit with Peter? I’m a fuck up and-and-a reckless asshole that apparently likes getting thrown into walls and-did you see her face!?” He shouted at nothing, not even looking at them anymore.

“She looked _terrified._ She was so worried, near hysterical with the knowledge that I’d been hurt, that _any_ of us could have been hurt and she- _she just-_ “ He gave up, burying his head in his hands, the compress he’d shoved against his side forgotten, so soaked through with blood that it clung to him anyway.

“ _Tony_ -“ Steve tried this time, stepping in closer and settling a large reassuring hand on the genius’ shoulder.

Tony forced himself to take a shaky breath in before he found the strength to meet the blonde’s concerned gaze. “The blood on her shirt, Steve? That was _Hydra’s_. I swore to protect the people I care about, the people I-the people I _love_ ,” He gasped, tears stinging his eyes, a burn in his throat. “That’s too close for comfort, Steve. I didn’t want to care about her because it opens her up to a world that is not _kind_ , not _good-_ ”

Steve’s face was pinched and he shook his head gently. “It is still our world, Tony. _Her_ world-“

“It’s a world that doesn’t deserve her and neither do I-“ He muttered, shaking his head. “But I’m already in too deep and the thought of trying to shut her out…it’s too much, too hard to think about,” He admitted, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “I’m not just Tony Stark, I’m Iron Man too and…I’m-“

Bucky growled, prompting the genius to look up as he finished his sentence. “Not worth it,” Tony sighed.

“Yes _you are-_ “ Bucky muttered through clenched teeth.

Tony blinked at him in surprise. “I told you back there, that day in the kitchen. I told you that whatever answer you had, it wasn’t right or warranted and it still isn’t,” Bucky said angrily. “In all that bullshit you just spouted, not _once_ did you say anything about what _Julie_ may have wanted. _You_ may have wanted not to care, but have you ever even given thought to the possibility of Julie wanting to?”

Tony blinked at him again, lips parting in surprise as he stared at him. “She cares about all of us, not because she has to, Tony, not because she wants an in with the Avengers, but because she’s comfortable with us, likes us, _trusts_ us. She works for you- _with_ you-for a reason, Stark,” Bucky said, annoyed beyond belief.

“You saw something in her and she saw something in you and _that’s_ why she’s here, why she fucking _cares._ So fuckin’ pull your head out of your ass for two goddamn seconds and see the light, because she’s where she wants to be and if that’s worrying over you and the rest of us, then that’s just fine by me-and go ahead and judge me for that if you want, I don’t give a shit-because having someone show you love and kindness like that? I’d break free of Hydra a _thousand_ more times if it meant I got to experience one single moment of that kindness again,” Bucky admitted, his voice breaking off as he looked to Steve, seeing all of his lover’s adoration and love shining in his eyes.

“I’d fight for her, just as I fought for Steve and every member of our Team, Tony and I will continue to fight for that kindness, that love, that friendship, because _they_ are worth it-“ Bucky went on, voice softer but no less firm.

“Because she’s worth it,” Tony whispered, his voice hoarse, throat dry and heart aching.

“Because _you’re_ worth it,” Steve murmured quietly from his side, hand still clasped over the genius’ shoulder.

“I-I’m allowed to care about her?” Tony asked hesitantly, looking between the pair, his earlier anger completely gone.

“Yes, Tony,” Bucky said patiently, thinking back to all the times Steve, Tony and most members of the Team having had the patience to tell him when he was allowed to have something, allowed to do something when he’d been terrified to even consider the possibility.

That had been when he’d first moved in back at the Tower and it’d taken him months to ask for some of the simplest things. But he’d come a long way, apparently. Seeing as he was now the one helping Tony-of all people-with the idea of being allowed to have something, to want something. This was Tony Stark. What could he possibly not be allowed to have?

Bucky mentally shook himself, slowly pushing out a breath as he watched the genius sit back a bit on his workbench, his face pinching in discomfort as the pain probably got the better of him. “We really should get you patched up,” Steve said gently, motioning towards his side, his hand slipping from the genius’ shoulder.

Tony nodded reluctantly, looking down at his side and grimacing a bit. “Yeah.”

Bucky and Steve shared a look over the genius’ head. Tony usually didn’t give in so easily, but really, they could pretend he hadn’t for the sake of their sanity. Bucky went to the sink to wash his hands, shuffling Steve off to do the same before they started in on the wound. When they came back, they found Tony’s bots had stripped his boots off and he was now sitting looking so exhausted and vulnerable and small at the edge of his workbench, staring down at the tablet Bucky had left beside him.

The video Julie had been watching was still loaded up and he closed the page, only to get stuck on the home screen of the tablet. He grimaced, suddenly holding the tablet out in front of him and looking at it as if it would suddenly bite him. “What the hell is she doing with an iPad?”

Bucky barked out a surprised laugh and Steve grinned wryly, before noting the sticker pasted over the apple logo on the back. His eyes widened and Tony looked up at him curiously, only to have the blonde take the tablet and turn it over to show him what he’d been looking at.

Tony blinked, shaking his head and if he wasn’t looking so pale, they would have missed the light flush that managed to creep up over his cheeks. There was an Iron Man sticker over the logo. His helmet, to be more precise. “ _Oh,_ I am _never_ letting her live this one down,” Tony muttered and true to his word, he never would.


	9. Nine

Tony cursed under his breath, muttered another obscenity or two and then reached for his cellphone, snatching it off the desk as he licked at the cut he’d manage to give himself on his thumb; the sound of the vibrations having startled him. He blinked down at the screen, brow furrowing before he let out a chuckle. He had a text message from Julie.

 

_Prima Ballerina_ \- Do you want anything from Starbucks?

 

He tilted his head curiously. “What the hell is she doing at Starbucks? Doesn’t she usually drink the coffee from the bakery down the street?” He wondered aloud.

He shook his head and then hit the call button, listening to it ring a whole _two times_ before she picked up. “ _Ugh_ , you cave man. Couldn’t you have just texted me like a normal person?” Came her annoyed greeting.

Tony grinned wryly. “Morning sunshine! And yes, I suppose I could have, but I like our chats so much better when I get to listen to the sound of your pretty voice,” He sighed dreamily.

Julie laughed on the other end of the phone and he heard her fumble with it for a moment as she no doubt tucked it against her shoulder to better talk to him. “Whatever, Stark. Now are you going to give me your coffee order or what? I’m at Starbucks, so pick something they have and don’t go making it complicated, these people aren’t paid enough to deal with your idiotic requests,” She went on, grumbling about the last time she’d offered to pick him up lunch from a nearby Italian restaurant.

Tony snickered into the phone, leaning back in his chair. “But why are you at Starbucks? May’s down the street spit in your coffee or something? Or _mine?_ ” He asked, suddenly a touch concerned.

Julie laughed. “Ha, _no_. May’s is still my go to, but it’s December and that means Starbucks has their Christmas menu out and I want to get me some _Caramel Brulè Latte,_ ” She announced, yawning into the phone.

Tony frowned, suddenly wondering if she’d gotten enough sleep as he glanced to the clock on his computer screen. It was going on noon, so he supposed she must have gotten at least a few hours. “What the hell is a caramel brulè latte?” He spluttered, face crinkling up in distaste.

“It’s exactly what you think it is, Stark. Now, _come on_ , do you want one or not? Or maybe you’d like a _Peppermint Mocha?_ ” She suggested.

Tony’s nose scrunched up as he apparently thought about this. “I don’t know what I want,” He confessed after much too long.

She groaned loudly before cursing into the phone. “I’ll bring you half a dozen different ones to try, I need the caffeine anyway and the fact that you don’t know what you want means that you are pretty well running on empty yourself, so I’ll see you in ten,” She sighed and before Tony even had a second to tell her that sounded like an awesome idea, he heard her talking to someone else, more than likely the barista and muttering, “I’m going to kill my boss, just an fyi and gimme one of everything on your Holiday menu.”

He blinked down at the phone as the line disconnected and he glanced over to DUM-E in disbelief. “ _Rude-_ “ He blurted and then snickered, shaking his head with amusement.

“That was fifteen-minutes, Miss O’Donnell, not ten,” Tony greeted some fifteen-minutes later, reprimanding her in the process.

Julie gave him a flat look, hands full with four different cups of… _whatever_ with another two plastic cups on top that appeared to be full of some kind of frosty drink. He perked up instantly, making grabby-hands towards her presents as he rolled closer to her. She rolled her eyes, but there was a fond smile tugging at her lips as she handed over the bunch of drinks to him, pleased to see that for once _he_ was the one asking her to hand him something.

“Yeah, well, the barista was a little stressed over the fact that she was making drinks for Mr. Stark, so she wanted to make sure they were perfect,” She sighed, flopping down onto one of the other rolling chairs.

“Which Starbucks did you go to anyway? I didn’t think there was one for at least a two block radius,” He chuckled, noting her very different appearance.

She looked nothing like he’d seen her earlier that morning, sad and worried and so utterly distraught. He swallowed at the uncomfortable thought and set the cold drinks down, figuring they could sit for a bit, but he really wanted to get at the hot coffee _now._

She tilted her head curiously at him. “The one in the Atrium.”

Tony blinked, hand curled around one of the cups that said _Peppermint Mocha_ and stopped. “ _My_ Atrium?”

Julie nodded slowly. “Yeah…the one you insisted needed to be built overnight because Darcy said that she loved Starbucks and could really _go for a Pumpkin Spice Latte_ that one night after she kicked Clint’s ass in Donkey Kong.”

Tony blinked again. “ _Huh,_ apparently I do have good ideas at least some of the time.”

Julie rolled her eyes, making an impatient gesture towards one of the other cups. “You have good ideas _most_ of the time,” She conceded.

Tony laughed, shaking his head as he lifted one of the cups out of the holder and handed it to her, noting that it said _Caramel Brulè Latte._ “Just not the times where it results in me getting thrown into a building,” He admitted nonchalantly.

Julie’s hand fumbled the cup as Tony handed it to her and he only just managed to steady it enough so she didn’t drop it or spill anything, but the panicked look was back, albeit, _much_ less worried looking than earlier that morning. He glanced up into her eyes, having leant forward a bit on his stool to prevent the spill and quickly realized he was much closer to her than he anticipated.

He swallowed thickly, watching the crease between her brows grow even deeper as she stared at him. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she didn’t say anything and Tony took a moment to just _look_ at her. There was colour in her cheeks today, not that sickly paleness he’d seen come over her yesterday at the sight of his blood and he was thankful for it. She looked healthy, happy-well, she _had-_ until he’d opened his big mouth.

Her hair was down in loose waves, like it usually was when she was in the lab, but she’d clearly showered and washed it as it was still a bit damp at the ends and through the middle. There weren’t any bags under her eyes this morning either, which meant that she’d actually managed to sleep and there wasn’t a spot of dirt or blood or _anything_ anywhere on her. He was so happy to see that she looked better that he got lost in just looking at her for a moment too long and completely forgot what he had said to startle her this way.

“H-how is your side, your ribs?” She finally managed to ask tentatively, barely above a whisper and Tony pulled back, the moment broken.

He blinked himself back into the present and gave her an easy smile. “So, we’re going to talk about this now, are we?”

Julie guffawed. “ _You_ were the one who mentioned being thrown into a building-“

Tony snickered, picking up his mocha and taking a long sip as he averted his gaze. He groaned at the intense amount of chocolate and peppermint and gave her a look over the rim of his cup. “This is Heaven, did you know this was heavenly?”

Julie blinked at him in annoyance and then glowered. “Of course I knew it was heavenly and don’t try and change the subject.”

Tony rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh as he lowered his cup. “Okay fine, I guess we can have this conversation. My ribs are… _bruised_ , but nothing’s broken and the cut isn’t so bad, just can’t exactly stretch quite the way I’m used to,” He admitted, shrugging lightly.

Julie nodded, shifting and tucking her converse clad feet up onto her chair and Tony marvelled at how she could sit like that, let alone while wearing jeans. He mentally shook himself when she let out a dejected sigh. “It’s really not too bad though?” She asked quietly, still looking at him skeptically.

“Not bad at all, promise,” He reassured, watching then as some of the tension in her shoulders bled away.

“That’s good,” She murmured, gaze flicking over his right side and then back up over the front of his chest before finally making eye contact with him.

Tony raised his cup to his lips and took another sip so that he’d have an excuse for swallowing past the awful lump in his throat. He didn’t know what to do with that look. Julie likewise took a sip of her drink and then promptly groaned, eyelashes fluttering at the first taste of her latte. “ _Ugh_ , that’s delicious.”

Tony smirked and soon they were swapping drinks to try and she went into a lengthy explanation about what each of them were and then they discussed the marvel that was the _Frappuccino_. By the time they’d finished the hot coffees, relaxing and chatting idly about Starbucks and other coffee related things, neither bothering to actually do any work or anything even remotely productive for the moment, they’d killed an hour.

They were enjoying each others company far too much to break whatever this was, but then a notification was alerting them on Tony’s personal computer and he glanced over at it curiously. “Oh good, the paneling’s done,” He announced, wheeling over and punching in a few things on his keyboard.

Julie perked up a bit, watching as one of his bots went to retrieve a panel of the Iron Man suit off of one of Tony’s workstations. U had been working on it since before her arrival, but she had totally missed it. DUM-E lifted the metal plating and carried it happily over to where Tony sat, the genius whirling around and plucking it from the bot’s tentative grasp.

He flashed an eager smile in Julie’s direction. “Want to help me fix the suit?”

Julie’s eyes were ridiculously round in the space of a second and he grinned at her, rolling his eyes. “Come on then,” He prompted, watching as she jumped up from her seat and followed him across the lab to where he worked on the armour.

He kept it separate from everything else, not really in a separate room or anything, just the other side of the lab where he had more space and wasn’t at risk of setting off the fire alarm should one of his repulsors decide it needed to fire unexpectedly. Unfortunately it was a real thing and he really didn’t want to deal with Jarvis tattling on him if he accidentally started a fire.

“You can do all the stupid bending and squatting for once, I’ll just explain what I need you to do,” Tony sighed, already having picked up a screwdriver with really no intent on using it.

“ _O-okay-_ “ Julie breathed, sounding far too eager.

Tony smirked with his back to her, settling down on a stool and watching as she made her way over to stand in front of the armour. The suit was standing upright, positioned in its casing with a large portion of the side panelling over the right side-where his ribs had been hurt-completely gone. He currently held said side panelling and he watched as she stepped closer to the suit to look at it.

The suit hadn’t been heavily damaged by any means and he was thankful for it, but the panelling over the ribs led into the chest-plate and it could be a bit tricky when it came to getting all the pieces to fit back together seamlessly. He knew he had a steady hand for the job, could do it on his own with probably only a bit of pain to himself, but Julie had offered to help put Iron Man back together as it were, so he figured, _why the hell not?_

“J?” Tony asked, watching Julie as she glanced over at him.

Jarvis didn’t respond, however, but the armour did. It powered up instantly, the sounds of machinery clicking and whirring as it came to life and stepped out of its case. Julie startled, stumbling back a step only to catch herself and stand her ground, her cheeks flushing as the armour steadily approached her, only to stop within arms reach.

“ _So cool_ ,” She breathed, staring up into the glowing eyes of the Iron Man suit with far too much adoration for Tony’s liking.

_Oh great, I’m jealous of my own bloody suit,_ he thought wryly, giving himself a mental shake. He huffed, shaking his head at her for real this time and she looked over at him, her adoring look turning incredibly sheepish, her blush only intensifying.

“It is pretty cool,” He agreed easily, waving his hand in a grand gesture towards the suit. “Well, have at it.”

Julie blinked at him. “Uh, _what?_ ”

Tony grinned at her, getting up from his spot and handing her his screwdriver while gesturing to the piece of plating he’d set on his workbench. “Before I can attach the plates, I need you to repair the wiring, it’s an easy fix, but it’s at an odd angle and I can’t really do it with my ribs as they are.”

Julie swallowed, gaze sweeping down to his side again. “Okay,” She said quietly, taking the offered tool.

“Just in here,” He murmured, leaning past her slightly-catching a lovely whiff of her shampoo in the process-and motioning to the mess of wiring that lay tucked up inside the suit that would need to be repaired.

“Okay, sure,” She said, already twisting to put her back against the suit’s front so that she could get almost up under the panels missing from the armour.

She could see it better from that angle apparently and Tony took a moment to curse himself for ever thinking this had been a good idea. She was shorter than him, definitely, but in comparison to the suit, it practically dwarfed her. She barely came up to the external Reactor piece in the chest-plate and he rolled his eyes skyward as she bent back into the open casing of the suit and started fiddling with the wires…the hem of her very dated _Panic! At the Disco_ t-shirt riding up in the process and treating him to a sliver of her smooth pale skin.

“Oh, the wirings all singed and stripped. I can remove the faults and we can put new ones in?” She said, popping her head out of the suit.

Tony nodded, hoping he’d picked his jaw up off the floor in time. “That’s the plan, just cut out the damaged ones and I’ll hand over the replacements,” He instructed, busying himself with grabbing a pair of pliers and a bunch of wires he figured would be needed.

Julie nodded, looking up at the armour’s face again, swallowing hard. “Should you power it down while we work on it?”

Tony shrugged. “I can if you like, but J’s already cut the power to the spot you’re working on, so no fireworks.”

She chuckled softly, gaze flickering back to the suit. “Okay, that’s fine then,” She agreed, taking the offering of the tiny pliers and ducking her head back into the armour.

Tony watched her work for a few minutes, admiring the curve of her body as she bent backwards slightly. Her stomach was peeking out from the hem of her shirt and he was truly struggling with the urge to lean in and lick at her cute little belly-button. It was becoming a real concern at this point as he started zoning out, just watching her. 

She had yet to make any cuts, but he figured she was probably just getting a feel for the wiring before she made any decisions and sure enough, about three-minutes in, she cut out a good chunk of wiring and Tony handed over its replacement one at a time. The steady music he usually kept on in the workshop was somehow background noise today as he managed to catch little sighs and huffs from Julie every time she tried to do something and either didn’t like the outcome or wasn’t happy with the way something was going.

But the little grunts and curses seemed to be his new favourite thing like _ever_. Nearly forty-minutes passed by before Julie emerged from the armour and Tony realized he’d been sitting and staring at her midriff and the strong lines of her legs as she supported herself for probably the last thirty while he occasionally handed her wiring and the odd screwdriver when she needed to pull up some of the under panelling to get at more of the wires.

He blinked, quickly looking away and hoping his cheeks weren’t red or anything, but then she was stretching and why was she so bloody _distracting?_ He shook his head, glancing over at the panelling on his desk for something else to look at. “Okay, wirings good to go. Should you get Jarvis to run a test or something?” She asked, wiping her forearm across her brow and getting a grease smear for her troubles.

Tony tried not grin at that. “J?”

“All appears to be in order, Sir,” Jarvis intoned.

Tony clapped his hands together excitedly and crossed to his desk. “Perfect, now we can just pull this baby apart and slot the panels in one by one, attach the internal wiring to these ones and we’re good to go!”

Julie blinked, chuckling lightly as Tony handed over the piece of siding to her. She stumbled forward unexpectedly at the weight of it and before Tony’s reflexes could kick in, the armour was grabbing her around the waist and lifting the piece of siding out of her hands.

“ _Holy-_ “ Julie started to swear and managed to catch herself as the armour righted her, still holding onto the panel with its arm around her waist to steady her.

She looked up at it, both of her hands having latched onto the suit’s forearms as she’d stumbled and caught herself. But her eyes were so wide and startled and Tony didn’t know what to do with the image she presented then. Seeing the armour nearly draped over her, supporting her and just, _holding_ her, was doing things to his insides and _Christ,_ he really needed to get a handle on things.

She laughed nervously, patting the suit’s arm. “Think you can let me go now, thanks…uh, _Iron Man?_ ” She said, nose scrunching up adorably as she met Tony’s gaze.

Tony barked out a laugh surprised at her response and then the suit was straightening up and letting her go, holding up the panelling in offering. She turned and looked at it, shaking her head. “Apparently I’m not as strong as that one,” She muttered, jerking her thumb in Tony’s direction, her gaze sweeping over the genius from head to toe.

Tony tried not to preen under the attention and simply cleared his throat. “Sorry about that,” He laughed, shrugging lightly.

Julie smirked, rolling her eyes. “For being stronger than me? Pretty sure everyone I know is stronger than me, Stark. I’m…not exactly packing on the muscle…maybe a few extra _pounds_ …” She muttered in annoyance, giving herself a once over.

Tony spluttered a laugh. “Yeah, _right-_ “ He blurted before he could stop himself.

She looked up at him curiously, brow raising in question and he cleared his throat, not sure how to stop talking, apparently. “What I meant to say was that you’re definitely not packing on any extra pounds and you clearly have muscle definition. In your legs especially, all strength there. Your figure is willowy, not like…not like _waif thin_ or anything, but you’re not fat either-not plump or anything-not that there’s anything _wrong_ with being plump, a little curvy is always nice and you do have curves and-“ He went on, calling on the powers at be to just _end this already_.

Julie’s face remained carefully blank and it was because it remained so carefully blank that Tony finally stopped talking and fix her with a _look_. “You were going to let me go on and on until I literally had no foot left to shove in my mouth, weren’t you?” He deadpanned.

A shit eating grin split across her face and he groaned loudly, scrubbing a hand over his face and somehow managing to get a streak of oil down his cheek. Julie thought it was adorable. “Aren’t you supposed to be smooth, _Mr. Stark?_ ” She teased.

He rolled his eyes, tossing his hands up in the air and then immediately winced when it pulled at his stitches. Julie’s grin was gone and was replaced with bone melting concern and then she was just _there._ Up in his space and everything. “Are you okay? Did you pull your stitches?” She asked worriedly, hands hovering but not touching; but she clearly wanted to.

Tony blinked, gripping the hem of his shirt and lifting it up a bit. He looked down at himself and noted that there wasn’t any fresh blood seeping through the bandage he’d changed this morning, so he figured he was in the clear. When he looked back into Julie’s face though, his breath caught. She looked so sad, so hurt and then he felt the barest brush of her fingertips against his heated skin as she pushed his shirt up higher, revealing more of the awful bruising.

She made a soft hurt noise in the back of her throat and Tony swallowed past the lump in his. “I thought you said it wasn’t that bad?” She whispered, the backs of her knuckles brushing over the nearly black and blue skin that stretched along the side of his ribs.

He forced himself to exhale slowly, the feel of that barely there caress doing things to his poor heart and he forced a one shouldered shrug. “It really isn’t, it looks worse than it is. _Honest._ ”

She nodded, removing her hand and blinking as she looked back up at him, he absently letting his shirt fall back into place. “So…how do I pull that panel apart?” She asked, gaze flickering towards the metal.

Tony blinked and immediately stepped out of her space, reaching out and taking the panel from his suit. He flipped it over and pressed on a couple of release hatches, breaking off one panel at a time and showing her. “Nifty,” She said easily and then they were back at it, Tony holding out a much smaller panel that she’d fit into place, attach a wire or two and then ask for the next.

They spent another hour or so on this and once all was said and done, they sat down to admire their work. Their _Frappuccinos_ had melted considerably but they still tasted pretty awesome, so they sipped on those and sat in near companionable silence just staring at the armour while _Queen_ played on in the background, Freddy Mercury’s voice reverberating around the workshop.

“I wanted to ask you something about the project you’re working on,” Tony said casually after a while, stretched back in his chair with his feet propped up on his desk.

Julie rolled her head on her shoulder, likewise reclined back, with her feet propped up on her own work desk, the Iron Man suit seeming so far away now that they were back to their regularly scheduled programming. Though Tony did leave it standing in Sentry Mode in the middle of the workshop. He figured she should have something pretty to look at and he’d told her so.

She took another long sip of her drink, still giving him the side eye for what he thought was an unreasonable amount of time. “You mean Bucky’s arm?” She said after a while.

Tony blinked, lips parting and then closing and then opening again. “You look like a fish, Stark. What? Did you think I didn’t know it was for Bucky? I didn’t think my hair was that blonde,” She muttered in annoyance.

Tony spluttered, finally managing to collect himself. “No, no, I just-we never talked about it-I figured you probably knew, but, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t _you_ say anything?” She countered, a brow ticking up at him in question.

Tony pouted, looking over at her and then back to the armour. That was safer. “Didn’t want you to feel pressured or anything, I guess. Big project like that as your starter and then you guys got to be really good friends and I just-it seemed like a really personal topic and I didn’t want to, I dunno, weird you out or something-“

“ _Stark_ -“ She said gently, prompting the man to look at her. “I get it, relax. I’m truly honoured that you’ve had me working on this, that you trust me enough with something like this.”

“Of course I trust you with this,” He said quickly. “I saw all of your designs for different prothesis’ and I was impressed from the get go. I knew you were the only woman for the job, Julie.”

Julie blinked at him in surprise and then it was her turn to flounder for a moment and look like a fish out of water. “Thank you, Mr. Stark,” She said quietly when she found the ability to speak.

Tony shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

They were quiet for a moment and then she was shifting in her seat and casting him a curious look. “So…what did you want to ask me about it?”

Tony breathed out slowly, shaking his head a little as he continued to stare at his armour. “What made you say yes to working on it? Like, what made you want to get into prosthetic development?”

Julie looked down at her hands then, cradling her _Frappuccino_. “Promise you won’t poke fun?”

Tony smirked over at her. “You know I can’t promise anything of the sort.”

“Of course not,” She sighed, shaking her head, but she was still smiling faintly.

She stayed quiet for a moment or three, gaze flitting away from the genius as he too let his eyes wander back to the armour. “James Buchanan Barnes is the reason I got into prosthetic development…” She said quietly. “I-I saw the news, when that whole shit-storm went down. Everything about the Winter Solider coming to light, all of the assassinations and everything. What _they_ _made_ _him do_ ,” She said firmly, shaking her head and trying to blow out the anger with a long breath.

Tony glanced to her out the corner of his eye and watched her nervously. “I saw a lot of photos plastered on the television, all over the news and the internet. I saw what they did to him-to his body-and it hurt so bad to see someone like that in so much pain _all the time_ and I-“ She swallowed thickly. “I couldn’t even _begin_ to imagine what kind of pain he had gone through with everything that had happened to him. I saw the-the way they had practically _soldered_ the damn thing on, all the scarring, the nerve damage that would cause, the _pain-_ “ She shook her head, shifting to sit properly in her chair.

Tony watched as she hung her head, bracing her elbows on her knees as she stared down at her coffee. “There are so many ways you could make that not hurt and they didn’t even _try_ to think about them. They did it in the most painful way possible. They didn’t _care-_ “ She said angrily, hands clenching slightly around her cup.

Tony’s heart clenched, mind racing back to Bucky’s words, his own. And before he could stop himself, he was dragging his feet off his desk turning towards her. “But _you_ care,” Tony said firmly.

Julie nodded, clearly unable to make eye contact with him. “I did- _do-_ care,” She agreed. “That’s why my designs are what they are. They are meant to be as pain free as humanly possible. I can’t stand the thought of someone going through losing a piece of themselves, only to replace it with something that _hurts_ ,” She breathed, shaking her head.

Tony nodded, sitting back a bit in his seat, his right hand coming up to rub knuckles over the Arc Reactor hidden beneath his shirt. Julie caught the motion and her gaze snapped up to him. Tony swallowed, realizing he had her eyes on him. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, but it-but it did at one point,” He confessed, his hand dropping from his sternum.

She nodded, brows still pinched in concern. “That’s good it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

He pushed out a slow breath, casting his gaze to the floor for something other than her pretty concerned face to look at; her eyes were so round, so worried. “That’s a really nice reason though, why you got into prosthetic development, even if it came from something tragic…you’re going to revolutionize the prosthesis industry,” Tony admitted casually.

Julie bit her lower lip gently, giving him a shrug as she turned away. “You don’t think it’s cheesy that it all stemmed from a childhood crush on Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes?”

Tony grinned wryly at her from over his shoulder. “ _Oh_ , it’s cheesy alright, but it’s good to know your heart is in it.”

Julie chuckled softly, her cheeks heating. “Course it is, love those dorks and the rest of the lot of you,” She said easily.

Tony had to stop the swell of angry butterflies that wanted to break free at that. It wasn’t the same as saying; ‘ _I love you_ ’ he had to remind himself. “Oh and _hey-_ you didn’t say _fucking_ in the middle of Captain America,” He stated proudly.

Julie blinked at him in confusion, thinking back to what she had actually said and then burst out laughing. “N-no, I guess I didn’t.”

“I guess that means you’re over your fangirling days?” He teased.

She laughed, shaking her head as she tried to school her expression into a more neutral one. “ _Ha_ , yeah right. I saw him in his spangly outfit for the first time this morning and I’m sure if I had been in my right mind, I would have been gushing like a pre-teen.”

Tony barked out a laugh, covering his mouth in an attempt not to let her see his stupidly fond grin. “Come on, _my_ suit is _way_ cooler,” He tried to coerce.

“Oh no you don’t-“ She scolded. “I’m not giving you another ego boost today, I said you suit is cool once today, that should tide you over until at least tomorrow.”

Tony laughed, still smiling when he dropped his hand. “Alright, alright, I guess I can wait until your birthday before you give me the next one. How about this? _I’ll_ even try to give _you_ one,” He tried to reason.

Julie blinked at him in surprise. “You know when my birthday is?”

Tony grinned at her, rolling his eyes as he got to his feet. “I make sure to know when all my friend’s birthdays are, yes. I’ve heard it’s good practice,” He said dismissively, waving his hand as he went.

He entirely missed the way Julie’s cheeks pinked adorably with his back turned as he walked over towards the armour, still standing sentry over them. “Well, then, yes. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get your next ego boost _and_ I may even make you wait until the _whole day_ has passed before I give it to you,” She teased.

Tony grinned at her over his shoulder. “I’d like to see you try,” He challenged.

Julie grinned. “ _Challenge accepted._ ”

He was grinning like an idiot as he turned back to the armour, just looking it over and considering a few potential upgrades. “ _Oh_ -by the way-Bucky and Steve should be down shortly. I thought you might want to sit and talk to him about the arm, see what his concerns are and any you might have.”

Julie beamed at him. “ _Yeah?_ That’s awesome.”

Tony nodded, humming under his breath. “Steve’s tagging along because Bucky doesn’t do so well with people handing the arm, so he’ll probably be in your space a bit, but don’t worry too much, I’ll try and distract him.”

Julie frowned slightly, thinking this over. “I can work with that. I know Bucky’s just a big teddy-bear when it comes down to it and I’m pretty sure I can talk him through it without any hiccups.”

Tony smiled softly to himself. He was sure she could. “I’m sure you can, I’ll try and keep Spangles busy while you get a feel for Bucky’s mood on the whole thing. He knows why he’s coming down here, so he might be bit nervous, but he’ll settle around you, I’m sure.”

Julie smiled, looking down at her hands and then casting a glance towards the sheet covering up Bucky’s new arm over on her workbench. “Sounds good,” She agreed.

They were quiet for a moment, Julie lost in thought and then Tony sighed deeply, almost as if he were resigning himself to something. “I think I’m going to have to wax the suit again, come give me a hand for a bit til’ they get here?” He asked hopefully.

Julie’s face did an odd sort of thing. “You want me to help you _polish_ the armour?” She asked incredulously, eyebrow arched and everything.

“That is what I said, isn’t it?” He sighed, tipping his head towards her. “It’s not like I asked you to _shine my shoes-_ “ He drawled lasciviously.

“ _Tony-_ “ Came Steve’s sudden and very loud exclamation from the doorway.

Tony blinked, grinning deviously as he looked towards where Steve and Bucky were looking at him in mortification. “ _What?!_ I said _‘it’s not like’-_ “ But the end of his defence was cut off by Julie’s riotous laughter as she doubled over in hysterics.

He grinned at the display, gesturing towards her shaking form. “ _She_ thought it was funny and you know, _I_ thought it was pretty funny if I do say so myself.”

Steve’s ears were pink as he looked between Julie and Tony and then Bucky’s soft snicker at his side was enough to get him to relax, rolling his eyes as he let out a huff. “Yeah, I guess it was pretty funny, but _jeeze,_ Tony. A fella’ could really get into a lot of trouble saying that around a pretty face back in my day.”

Tony grinned, shaking his head and Bucky spluttered a laugh beside him. “Ain’t never stopped _you_ before,” Bucky snickered.

The howling laughter that escaped both Julie and Tony at that had Steve turning beat red in seconds and turning on his heel to hightail it out of the workshop. Bucky laughed, grinning fondly as he hauled his lover back through the doors by his elbow and pressed a messy kiss to his heated cheek. 

And just like that, Steve realized that Bucky didn’t look so nervous anymore and he would be the first to admit that even a lifetime of his embarrassment would be worth it if Bucky didn’t ever have to feel nervous or uncomfortable again. So he’d take the teasing, especially if it put a smile on his friend’s faces.

When they’d managed to calm down some, Steve giving in and letting Bucky draw him farther into the workshop, Julie found herself listening to Tony explain the wonder of the _Frappuccino_ to them both while she went and powered up her workstation; hoping that Bucky would be distracted enough for the moment while she made a couple of quick preparations.

She had an idea.

“Oh, Steve, wanted to run something by you about your star spangly outfit,” Tony said suddenly and the blonde blinked at his friend curiously.

“What about the uniform, Tony?” Steve all but sighed and Julie tried not to smirk; Tony really liked poking fun of Steve’s Cap suit, never mind that he was the one to help design it in the first place.

“Well, I was thinking we could add some sort of an under-armour dealy for you for colder weather missions. Last trip to the Arctic didn’t go so hot, if you remember,” Tony said gently.

Steve let his gaze stay trained on Tony, a bit of wariness reflected in his gaze. He remembered the mission alright. Hadn’t been fun, _at all._ “I don’t know…”

“Steve,” Tony said gently. “It’ll help keep you warmer in the colder climates and I’ll do my best not to make it bulky or restricting. I just thought you might like a bit of extra warmth.”

Steve swallowed and nodded slowly. “Y-yeah, okay. That sounds like a good idea…it was pretty chilly,” He agreed quietly.

Tony beamed at him. “ _Perfect!_ I’ve already had a prototype made, but you’ll have to try it on and make sure it fits and all that fun stuff and then we can tweak it from there.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but nodded nevertheless. Trust Tony to already have something done up for him. Tony rushed off towards one of his stations and when he came back, he was carrying what looked like a very small body-suit. Steve and Bucky both blinked down at it.

“I’m supposed to fit into _that?_ ” Steve asked dubiously.

Tony grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “Yes you are, Mr. America. Now go and get changed and then come back so I can run some tests,” He ordered, pushing the suit into the blonde’s hands and shooing him off towards the workshop’s attached bathroom.

Steve threw Bucky a pleading look but Bucky only smirked. “You’d better be ready to do a twirl in that when you come back, Stevie,” Bucky teased and was stupidly pleased when the blonde’s cheeks pinked up.

Tony grinned and elbowed the soldier. “Buck’s got the right idea, now, hop to it soldier.”

Steve spluttered a laugh, shaking his head but doing as he was told all the same. As soon as he was safely inside the bathroom, Tony turned back to Bucky. “Why don’t you go and see what Julie’s up to?” The genius suggested gently, motioning to where Julie was currently sitting and drawing Bucky’s attention to her.

She was seated at her desk, a tablet cradled in her hands as she looked up, studying three holographic screens projecting a bunch of different still images and lists upon lists of _stuff_. Bucky blinked, smiling at the genius before patting his shoulder lightly and slipping away to join the young woman.

_Project Get Steve Distracted From Worrying Over Bucky_ _complete_ , Tony mentally concluded.

Bucky came up beside the young woman, watching her gaze flicking back and forth over the screens. She was clearly distracted by whatever she was reading, so he took the opportunity to sit down beside her, his own gaze straying towards the screens as well. He could see a bunch of technical phrases that he didn’t quite understand, but then his attention was straying to where she was suddenly reaching out and forcing one of the other lists to start scrolling.

“ _Hmm-_ “ She hummed softly, gaze still focused.

Bucky smiled, watching her curiously again as she started tapping away on her tablet. She was still quiet, so he glanced back up at the screen, only to see that it had changed to a list of things he definitely recognized; _weapons._

“How do you feel about flamethrowers?” She suddenly asked, still not looking at him.

Bucky blinked, thinking about his answer very carefully. “They’re sort of dangerous and can be a bit… _messy_ ,” He decided to go with.

She hummed under her breath. “So no flamethrower then, but how about rockets?”

Bucky’s eyebrows ticked up in confusion, wondering what the heck she was studying rockets for. _Isn’t she supposed to be in prosthetics development?_ He wondered. He glanced back up at the holograms when she tossed her tablet aside and reached out to manipulate the screens, dragging what would appear to be a rocket launcher from one screen over to the next…where a 3D image of a prosthetic arm was displayed.

“ _What the-_ “ He started, only to be interrupted by Julie huffing.

“I was thinking rockets, they’re super cool and you know, deal _waay_ more damage than a flamethrower ever could. What do you think? Want me to add a rocket launcher in there? Maybe give you access to some heat seeking missiles? I bet that’d be _so cool_ -“ She sighed dreamily.

Bucky blinked. “ _Julie-_ “ He laughed.

She blinked, giving him the side-eye, her lips quirking up in a little half-smile. “What do you say, Buck? Want me to add in some rockets? Maybe a speaker so you can pump out some _Zeppellin_ while you’re kicking ass? _The Immigrant Song_ is pretty catchy.”

Bucky face-palmed and Julie’s face split into a wide grin as she tipped her head towards him. He mumbled something into his hand and she chuckled, bumping shoulders with him lightly. “Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

Bucky huffed, removing his hand and looking at her, cheeks red and amusement shining in his eyes grey-blue. “I actually love that song,” He repeated, sighing softly as he smiled at her.

She grinned. “So speakers, _yes?_ ” She asked hopefully, nodding with her eyes wide and then; “What about the rockets? Still need an answer on that one and maybe some help with hacking Jarvis and persuading him to give me access.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “No on the rockets and no on the speakers, doll. Tony already tends to blast music through his suit speakers when he’s feeling particularly rowdy on missions.”

Julie grinned, nose scrunching up adorably as she nodded. “I actually did see him do that once on the news. Was actually stupidly entertaining. He was playing _AC/DC_ ’s _Thunderstruck_ and Thor was being all heroic and calling down his lightening.”

Bucky barked out a laugh, covering his mouth a little as he leaned forward to brace his elbow on her desk. “Yeah, he does that.”

Julie chuckled softly, glancing over her shoulder to where Tony was busy talking to Jarvis about something, still apparently waiting for Steve to come out of the bathroom. She turned her attention back to the screens in front of her before reaching out and swiping away all the weapons stuff and bringing up her designs for the arm.

Bucky blinked, watching the holograms change in front of him and then he was sitting back a bit and looking at the designs. “This is it?” He asked, voice filled with curiosity and maybe a bit of awe.

Julie smiled softly, looking over the designs. “This is it,” She agreed before murmuring; “Jarvis? Could you pull up the specs, please?”

Just then, another screen popped up with a list of technical jargon and measurements and other specifications and Bucky wasn’t sure he understood even half of them. He smiled, suddenly faced with the fact that this was Stark’s intern, not just a pretty face.

“So, when did Tony finally fess up and tell you it was for me?” He asked casually.

She smirked over at him. “Oh you know, about five-minutes before you two walked in.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Sounds about right.”

She smiled, unable to stop herself. “I knew it was for you pretty well from the get go, though.”

Bucky glanced over at her. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

She shrugged, turning her attention back to the screens in front of her. “So, talk to me. What do you want in the new arm? Anything specific? I wasn’t kidding about the speakers. I could add some other stuff. I’ve got a ton of pressure sensors, most of it based off your current specifications but not so dialled down. Maybe the ability to cool down and not just warm up? I’ve been fooling around with the warming applications I had installed, but I think it needs to be more thoroughly integrated. I want the whole arm to warm,” She went on.

Bucky blinked at her. “You could make it warm up?” He asked curiously.

She nodded, tapping away at one of the holograms and then expanding something up in the bicep, the mechanics nearly exploding out so that they could see it better. “I’ve got these tiny wires through the entire arm that’ll allow heat to travel and warm the whole thing from the inside out. That way the metal will never sap any of your own body heat. I’m still working on a power source that’ll be capable of dealing with this and well, everything else, but Tony said he was going to work out something for that.”

Bucky nodded slowly, swallowed hard. “Th-that’s pretty cool.”

Julie smiled softly, shrugging before her movement accidentally caused her to poke at something up at the top of the bicep. There was an unusual piece of the arm that expanded out then and she grimaced, making an annoyed noise before she tried to put it all back into place. Bucky looked at it curiously, not quite understanding how it fit there in the first place.

“What is that?” He asked curiously after watching her struggle with the hologram for a moment.

“This?” She asked, poking at it and making the image enlarge, when he nodded, she beamed at him. “This is my pride and joy…The Cradle™.”

Bucky looked at it curiously. “ _What_ is it though?”

She chuckled softly before hopping up from her spot and darting over to her workstation. She shoved part of the sheet aside before pulling out a see-through glass box with the very contraption mirrored in the hologram. “The Cradle™-“ She announced, handing him the sealed box and taking a seat on the edge of her desk.

He blinked down at the box now cradled in both of his hands. “ _This-_ “ She said gently. “Is what cushions your body before the arm is attached. This is The Cradle™, that will cradle not only you, but the arm itself.”

Bucky’s gaze slid back up to her, sitting casually at the edge of her desk, watching him curiously, quietly, _timidly_. “It’s made of some pretty amazing stuff that Tony helped me track down. It’s supposed to feel flesh-like and soft, like a cushion between you and the metal. The nanites Tony’s been working on would work with the material to adhere to your skin naturally without causing any discomfort and in the end it’ll help carry the weight of the arm-mind you, the metal Tony has put together for you is some kind of otherworldly light-and it’ll all help to keep the strain off your skin, keep it from pulling or irritating you in any way. It’s designed to be a buffer between you and your prosthesis,” She explained gently.

“You designed this…” He stated carefully.

She nodded, her fingers twitching in her lap as she started to nervously fiddle. “I did…” She said slowly. “Patent no longer pending and everything, actually.”

“This is why…” Bucky murmured, voice trailing off and his gaze flickering back down to the box carrying such an incredible piece of technology. “This is why he chose you.”

Julie’s lips parted in surprise and she looked at him in disbelief. Bucky’s gaze flickered back up to her face and he smiled at her. “Knew he picked you for a reason, Julie. When he talked about your designs…this wasn’t-this wasn’t something he ever mentioned. He carefully made sure to leave it out, _for a reason_ ,” He blurted, casting a quick look over his shoulder to see the genius himself banging his head against the door and no doubt trying to coerce Steve out into the open.

It wasn’t working.

“Out off all the potential applicants, all the project leaders and department heads that he reached out to, to come up with a design, _you_ were the one he chose and you were _neither_ of those things. You were an intern fresh out of grad school with an _idea_ and _this-_ “ Bucky said firmly gesturing carefully with the box. “Is why you’re here, Julie.”

Julie swallowed past the lump in her throat, fingers digging into her ratty jeans as she stared at him in complete disbelief. He stood then and took the half step towards her, carefully handing over the box and making sure she had a hold of it before letting go. “This is why you’re here,” He breathed, softer this time as he reached out and brushed the backs of his knuckles of his flesh and blood hand against the spot just over her heart.

She swallowed hard, watching as he pulled away and started over towards the sheet that was draped over her workstation. “Now-“ He said, casting a devious glance over his shoulder at her. “Let me get a look see at my new arm.”

She could do nothing to stop her warm smile then as she set The Cradle™ down beside her and hopped off the desk. “Okay, Bucky. But just remember, it’s not finished yet and the metal casing will look a bit different and it’s currently _totally_ hooked up to a car battery- _Tony’s idea-_ “ She quickly assured when Bucky’s brows ticked up. “While Tony gets the power source all sorted out. But it’ll be ready in a couple of weeks, I _promise_. I’m so close to being done, just need to do a few more things and of course make any changes you want.”

Bucky grinned, already eagerly pulling back the sheet. “Yeah, yeah-I just wanna’ see it-“

She chuckled softly and cast the rest of the sheet aside and watched as Bucky went completely still beside her. She started chewing her lower lip nervously as her gaze flickered back and forth between him and the arm resting unsuspecting on her workbench on its stand.

But when Bucky just stood there staring at it for a solid minute, she started to panic and shift from foot to foot. “Bucky?”

“It’s _black-_ “ He blurted, unable to help himself.

Julie’s eyes widened. “ _It doesn’t have to be-_ “ She rushed to assure.

Bucky blinked, looking over at her and giving her the biggest grin she’d ever seen on his handsome face. “ _I love it-_ “

She breathed an incredibly loud sigh of relief, folding over and bracing her hands on her knees. “Way to give a girl a heart-attack, you jerk. I thought you were going to smack me or something-”

He laughed, patting her on the back lightly before she managed to straighten herself up in time to watch him trail his flesh and blood fingers along the smooth shiny black panels of the mostly finished forearm. The bicep was still a bit of an unfinished mess, the metal plating pulled back and in some places completely removed so she could work on the exposed circuitry.

“This is great, doll. Like, _wow,_ I’m sort of speechless,” He admitted, shaking his head as he braced both of his hands against the table, gaze sliding over every inch of the arm in admiration…and then his gaze caught on the two cables hooked up to- _yep, that was a car battery-_

She laughed nervously at that, hand flying to rub at the back of her neck sheepishly. “Like I said, _totally_ Stark’s idea.”

He smirked, shaking his head, but then said genius was popping up beside them and shrugging. “Battery was totally my idea, I’ll own it.”

Julie and Bucky both grinned over at him and then Bucky was looking over his shoulder to see where his lover had gotten to. “Won’t come out?”

Tony sighed deeply. “Nope.”

Bucky chuckled, rolling his eyes fondly. “Ah well, was a good try.”

Tony shrugged. “I haven’t given up yet, don’t you worry.”

Bucky and Julie both chuckled and then Tony was sighing, folding his arms over his chest and cocking his head as he looked the design over, gaze settling heavily on the car battery. “Alright, J, time for the _Mini Arc Protocol_ ,” Tony announced, a hologram popping up in front of him.

They watched curiously as Tony placed his palm against the display, phasing through it and then a keypad was popping up. He quickly punched in a dozen numbers or so and then Jarvis was speaking. “Miss Bailey Juliet O’Donnell granted access to _Project Mini Arc_ for James Buchanan Barnes’, _Project Kiss My Shiny Metal-_ “ Jarvis recited dutifully.

Julie and Bucky shared a look with each other and the brunette raised a brow curiously at her. “I thought your name was Julie?”

She scowled at him. “It _is_ and if you call me anything other than that, I’m gonna’ smack you.”

He grinned at her, trying to stifle it by biting his bottom lip. She shook her head at him, but then a hologram was popping up over her workbench and she leaned forward to look at it. Within three-seconds she was spluttering, eyes going impossibly wide as she looked at all the design specs flicking across the screen.

“Mr. Stark!” She practically wheezed. “You can’t give me access to _that-_ “

Tony smirked at her, tapping at the hologram and making it expand to reveal a miniaturized version of the Arc Reactor. “You need a power source and I told you I had you covered,” He said simply, turning and walking away.

Julie was hot on his heels after barely a second’s delay though and she darted around to block his path. “ _I’m serious-_ “ She breathed, staring up at him with wide eyes. “That’s a lot of power,”

“And with great power, comes great responsibility,” He said calmly.

Julie stared back at him in disbelief, her eyes so very, very blue. He swallowed thickly, holding her gaze, but then she was nodding slowly, her posture straightening. “Okay, Mr. Stark,” She said quietly.

He smiled at her, clasping her shoulder lightly before he walked past her. “Hey, J? How are we doing on the bathroom situation?”

Jarvis sighed then and Tony grinned. “Plan B?”

“ _Plan B-_ “ Jarvis agreed and Tony glanced towards Bucky and Julie.

“You’re both going to _really_ want to watch this,” He said cryptically and their eyebrows furrowed collectively.

But of course, just then, there was a shout from Steve from behind the door. “ _Jarvis!_ What are you-?!” The blonde was yelling and Tony grinned.

“And…three, two, _one-_ “ Tony murmured.

There was a loud crash and then Steve was barrelling through the bathroom door, shouting obscenities and positively _dripping_ wet as he stumbled into the workshop. They were all staring wide eyed at the super-soldier who was clad in a skin tight navy blue suit, something akin to a wet suit, very similar to Tony’s flight suit, actually.

“It fits you great!” Tony announced happily, grinning like an idiot as he took in the sight of his friend.

Steve spluttered, running his hands over his wet hair and Julie realized Tony had Jarvis spray him with the shower head. Tony was so, _so clever._ She grinned, elbowing Bucky as he got a look at Captain America in all his glory. That suit definitely didn’t leave much to the imagination. It was practically _painted_ on.

“That’s-“ Bucky started to say, but his throat clicked and he had to swallow.

Steve looked up, only to realize that all three of them were staring at him with wide eyes and in Tony’s case, a smug grin. “Captain _fucking_ America indeed,” Tony drawled.

Julie spluttered, covering her face with her hands as her cheeks flushed. “Suit looks good, Cap,” She managed to quip and Bucky grinned wryly at her before looking to his now blushing lover.

“It does look good on you, baby,” Bucky admitted, cocking his head as he gave his lover a gracious once over.

“Don’t you even-“ Steve started to admonish, his gaze snapping to Tony when the genius made a curious sound.

“Did it work? Are you still warm? I had Jarvis use super cold water-you know- _to test it out-_ “ Tony admitted.

Steve glared at him. “It worked-“ He gritted through clenched teeth.

“ _Excellent!_ ” Tony announced, clapping his hands together. “Never a doubt in my mind and it’ll fit nice ands snug under your uniform so you’ll be all roasty-toasty.”

“Uh, huh-“ Steve muttered, still glaring at the genius.

“Okay, Stevie. You should probably change out of that before I attempt to _peel_ you out of it, because let me tell you-“ Bucky started only to be interrupted by Julie and Tony at the same time.

“ _No-_ “ They shouted.

“My poor eyes couldn’t handle the level of sexy, you guys. Just _stahp-it!_ ” She whined covering her face with her hands.

Tony spluttered a laugh, shaking his head. “I agree, my poor heart can’t take all the muscles and _sheesh,_ that suit seems to exaggerate them.”

Steve blinked at them owlishly and then he was ducking back into the bathroom without another word. Bucky tipped his head towards her. “Couldn’t handle that level of sexy?” He teased, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She groaned, casting him a very annoyed look. “Don’t even-“ She mock threatened and he made a funny face at her, when all of a sudden the music lowered and all eyes turned to see Pepper Potts striding through the lab doors.

“Pep!” Tony said in surprise, gaze snapping towards her as she headed for him.

She smiled warmly at the genius, bowing her head in acknowledgment. “Hi, Tony,” She said smoothly and Bucky felt Julie practically wither at his side.

He shot a glance towards her, only to realize that she was drawing back a bit and nearly hiding behind him as she attempted to make herself look smaller. She apparently didn’t want to draw any attention to herself.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Tony greeted, leaning back against the edge of his desk as she came to stand before him.

His gaze flickered over her, noting that she was definitely dressed up, probably had been at a meeting or three and she had a folder with her. _Great, paperwork. My favourite._ “I ran into Happy in the Garage, he said he had to run this up to you before 5 o-clock, thought maybe I’d come up to say hello and save him the trouble, you know, since you’re not answering my calls and will only speak to me via email,” She said breezily while waving a hand dismissively.

Bucky tried not to grimace at the sheer amount of awkward and then Steve was popping out of the bathroom, new thermal suit in hand and back in his khakis and far too tight t-shirt. “Uh, hey, Pepper,” Steve greeted uncomfortably.

“Hi Steve, it’s good to see you,” She returned, gaze flickering over to Bucky as if only just noticing he was there. “James, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you. It’s nice to see you too, how are you?”

“It’s nice to see you too and I’m good, Ma’m,” He said gently, nodding his head towards her.

See, the thing was, they _liked_ Pepper. But…things hadn’t worked out with her and Tony and they weren’t really sure how to act around her. Tony and her were still friends, she still managing his company and stuff; still managing him, really. But it was always so awkward and uncomfortable around her and with the whole her dating Rhodey thing…it was all just a big mess.

She smiled at him, nodding and then blinked in surprise as she seemed to notice Julie at his side. “ _Oh-_ “ Pepper exclaimed, turning on her ridiculously high and no doubt expensive heels to head for the young woman.

Julie startled as Bucky was forced to take a step aside to allow Pepper some room, thus leaving Julie out in the open and feeling all kinds of small and vulnerable. _Inadequate._ Her brain helpfully supplied and she barely managed to suppress a grimace.

“H-hello Miss Potts-“ Julie started to greet, only to be interrupted by the older woman.

“Oh, _please,_ call me Pepper, Miss O’Donnell. I’ve heard so much about you and I’ve read _all_ of your prosthesis proposals. _The Cradle?_ Wonderful invention, that’s an incredibly valuable piece of technology and it’s come a long way since I first saw your file flit across my desk,” Pepper told her earnestly, reaching out to offer her hand.

Julie swallowed hard, glancing down at the woman’s immaculately clean outstretched hand and then down at her own grease covered one. “Uh, sorry,” She murmured, giving her a bit of a wave and displaying her dirty palm and watching as Pepper waved her hand as if to say, ‘ _no matter_ ’. She reached up and tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear nervously, not really sure what else to do. “Thank you, though,” She managed to whisper, gaze flickering over to where Tony was watching them both with a pinched expression on his face.

“I should probably go, I’m all finished up here for the day, right, Mr. Stark?” Julie said quietly and Tony nodded.

“Yeah, we’re all wrapped up here,” Tony agreed, just as quiet.

“We’re going to head up then too, Tony. Thanks for the addition,” Steve said gently, gesturing with his hands still holding the under suit.

“No problem Spangles, see you three at dinner for 6?” Tony asked, glancing between the three, but Julie was no longer meeting his eyes and he wasn’t sure why.

“Definitely,” Steve agreed easily and gave a little wave and a nod to Pepper. “It was nice to see you, Pepper.”

“You too, Steve. Bye for now,” She said lightly, murmuring a good bye to Bucky as well as they walked past, only to settle her gaze on Julie as the young blonde started to trail along behind them. “It was wonderful finally getting to put a name to a face, Miss O’Donnell,” Pepper assured her.

Julie swallowed. “You as well, Miss Potts,” She murmured, slipping past the taller woman on her way to the doors, but then Tony was clearing his throat and grasping her by her elbow.

She stopped, looking to him nervously, only to have him offer her her personal tablet…and she felt her cheeks heating, wondering how in the hell he’d come by it. Tony’s brow was ticked up as he waved it in front of her face, that bright red Iron Man helmet sticker staring her in the face. “We are going to have a little chat about this later, you and I,” He teased, waving it at her, his lips tilted up in a smile.

She laughed nervously, taking her iPad and grinning at him lopsidedly. “Good luck with that.”

He smiled a little more easily at her and then she was pulling away, heading for the doors and Tony was left staring off after her for a beat.

Julie had barely made it through them before they whooshed closed behind her, locking Tony and Pepper inside. She couldn’t stop herself from glancing through the windows into the lab as she walked towards the elevator where Steve and Bucky were waiting for her, looks of concern plastered across their faces. She couldn’t see that though, because she was too busy watching Pepper and Tony share a long hug, Tony’s chin tucked up onto her shoulder as he hugged her around her middle and she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

He looked so relieved to have her in his arms and Julie swore she felt her heart was breaking, bright blue eyes welling up with tears as she turned her gaze towards the super-soldiers. But Steve and Bucky weren’t at the elevator anymore, they were right in front of her, both taking her hands in theirs and leading her away. She felt too tired all of a sudden to resist.


	10. Ten

Tony sighed, drawing himself out of Pepper’s hug. “I’m sorry,” She said gently, likewise stepping out of his embrace.

He nodded, hands falling to his sides as he looked into her sweet face. “Yeah, me too. I’ve been an ass about this whole thing.”

Pepper sighed then too, crossing to sit on the edge of his desk. “Let’s just say we both didn’t act like adults for once and move on.”

Tony nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose as he moved to sit down in one of his chairs. “Yeah, okay.”

Pepper looked him over quietly for a moment. “Saw that hit you took yesterday. How are you feeling?”

Tony shrugged, gaze flickering away. “I’ve had worse.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” She sighed in annoyance.

Tony rolled his head on his shoulder and looked to her. “It hurts, but it’s not bad. Might be a bit tender for a couple of weeks, but nothing serious.”

Pepper nodded, relaxing some. “So…are we going to talk about James and I, or?”

Tony grimaced. “Diving right into the good stuff, aren’t you?”

Pepper rolled her eyes but nodded. “You won’t return his calls, Tony. He’s so worried about you. Ignoring my calls is one thing, but James?”

Tony scrunched up his nose in distaste. “Don’t call him _James_ , it’s Rhodey, Pep.”

Pepper chuckled softly, rolling her eyes once again. “You’re trying to distract me and I won’t have it. Why won’t you just talk to him?”

Tony sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I know I’m being a jackass, okay? I will, I will call him, just…not right now.”

Pepper nodded gently. “He cares about you, Tony. He’s even said to me that if you can’t handle our being together…well…there won’t be a together for us, Tony. He won’t do that to you and I respect that. _Hell,_ even I’m considering-“

“ _Pepper_ -“ Tony said sternly. “I’m happy for you guys, really I am. I just-I’m _awful_ with the whole feelings thing, okay? You know that,” He admitted, shaking his head. “I want you to be happy. I want Rhodey to be happy too and if you make each other happy? Who the fuck am I to say you can’t have that? I wouldn’t do that to you guys, it’s just taken me a while to adjust and then I got sidetracked and busy and these long, emotional conversations just aren’t my forte.”

Pepper smiled at him warmly. “We know all that, Tony. That’s why I’m here as well as this-“ She murmured, opening up the folder she’d brought along with her and handing him a small envelope. “Happy said you needed this by 5, any reason?”

Tony blinked, eyeing the outstretched envelope. “It’s a birthday present for Julie and we’re throwing her a party tonight. Wanted to make sure I had her present before then,” He admitted, figuring she already knew at least that much already.

“Tickets to her favourite band?” She asked lightly, setting the envelope down on the desk and sliding it towards him.

He nodded, glancing at the offering. “Yeah.”

“That’s a sweet gift, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. She seemed comfortable with James and Steve. Do they spend a lot of time together?” She asked calmly.

Tony looked at her for a moment, as if he were sizing her up. “She comes to the Team movie nights pretty regularly. She’s friends with pretty well everyone around here.”

Pepper hummed in acknowledgement. “She seems like a sweet girl, Tony.”

Tony swallowed, nodding lightly. “She is,” He agreed easily.

Pepper just hummed again before standing up and taking a few steps towards him. “Well, I’d better get going. But Tony? Please call James,” She murmured, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Tony nodded as she pulled away, his gaze following her as she walked across the lab towards the doors. “I will…and Pep?”

She stopped in the doorway, looking to him. “Hmm?”

“Take care of him for me? He can be a little like a puppy sometimes,” Tony chuckled.

Pepper smiled at him warmly. “I’ll take care of him, Tony.”

He nodded, letting out a sigh and then just as she turned to leave, he remembered something else. “ _Oh,_ and don’t mention anything to him about Julie.”

Pepper flashed him a dazzling smile. “That’s asking for too much, Mr. Stark,” She teased, winking before disappearing through the door.

Tony groaned, hanging his head in defeat. He stayed like that for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh and glancing towards his cellphone lying on the desk. He bit his lower lip, chewing on it nervously for a moment before he picked it up. He stared at the screen for what felt like a long time before he finally managed to punch in Rhodey’s number.

It barely rang once before he picked up.

“ _Tones-_ “ Rhodey greeted.

“Hey buddy,” Tony sighed. “It’s good to hear your voice.”

Rhodey let out a long sigh on the other end. “Good to hear yours too, Tony. I-I’m so-“

“Don’t even bother with that, _okay?_ I was an ass and I’m sorry. I’m-I’m really happy for you guys. You deserve each other,” He said sincerely.

Rhodey was smiling into the phone, Tony was sure when he next spoke. “You’ve sure got a funny way of showing it,” He teased.

Tony chuckled softly, sitting back and relaxing in his chair a bit. “Yeah, really gotta’ work on that,” He admitted.

Rhodey chuckled on the other end. “So, we’re good?”

Tony nodded. “We’re good. Just…take care of her, okay?”

Rhodey breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course I will, Tony.”

They stayed like that for a second, just listening to one another breathe and then Rhodey cleared his throat. “I’ve got a question.”

“Shoot,” Tony prompted.

“Who’s Julie?” Rhodey asked smugly.

Tony groaned loudly. “I have the _worst_ friends.”

Rhodey’s happy laughter filled his ears then and he couldn’t stop from smiling as he hung his head, shaking it in fond amusement. Well, what could it hurt to spill his guts to a friend? He’d survived it once, maybe he could survive it again. He shrugged and decided he could kill a half hour before he needed to get ready.


	11. Eleven

Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve had managed to accompany Julie up the few floors to the apartment she lived in. They were surprised that she was just a floor up from theirs and that she had a whole area all to herself, no other interns on her floor or anything. But they were hardly interested in that when she looked as if she were two-seconds away from bursting into tears.

“Julie, do you want to sit down for a minute?” Steve asked gently, looking to Bucky for help, but Bucky looked just as lost himself.

Julie shrugged, striding past them both into her living room and heading for the kitchen. Bucky and Steve shared a look before tentatively following her, hoping they weren’t about to overstep. “Do you want to talk abou-“ Bucky started to ask, only to be interrupted by a very unhappy sound from Julie.

She turned around then, bracing her hands against the kitchen island that was now standing between them, her eyes wide and filled with a desperation they didn’t understand. “She’s _beautiful-_ “

Steve and Bucky’s faces both did the same sort of odd nose scrunch as they took a few tentative steps towards her. “What?” Bucky managed to ask quietly.

_“Miss Potts!_ ” She said in frustration, her face still scrunched up unhappily. “She is _so_ beautiful and _tall_ and _gorgeous_ and she can wear _heels!_ I can’t wear heels thanks to my damn slippers!” She seethed. “And they’re _nothing_ like actual slippers, _just an fyi_ -“ She breathed.

Bucky and Steve both blinked at her in surprise. “I can’t compete with her-“ She gasped, shaking her head and pulling away from the counter.

“Hang on a minute-“ Bucky quickly interjected, rounding the side of the counter to block her path.

She blinked up at him in surprise, nearly stumbling into him. “What do you mean _‘you can’t compete with her’?_ ” Bucky asked her very carefully.

She swallowed thickly, shaking her head and then she was ducking past him, well, she tried to. He snatched her around the middle with his metal arm and tugged her against his chest so that her back was to his front. “Oh _no you don’t_ , we’re going to have this conversation _right_ ** _now_** because I can’t have you thinking that you don’t have a chance with Tony.”

She let out quite the adorable squeak and Bucky tried not to smile at her in response as she gripped at his forearm, though she didn’t exactly try to get away. Steve stepped up in front of her then, folding his arms in front of his chest and giving her the _look_.

She pouted up at him adorably, not appreciating that he was using his Captain America face on her _at all_ , but really, what could she do? She sighed, folding her arms and resting them over top of Bucky’s metal forearm before letting her entire body go lax in his arms. “But I don’t-I’m not anything like her. How could I ever get his attention with a stupid body like this? I’m a disaster, just look at me. I can’t believe I met her when I was covered in workshop grease and sweat and who knows what else,” She grimaced. “She looked so _perfect_ and _clean_ and I-“ She huffed, giving up and simply shaking her head, practically sagging in Bucky’s arms.

Bucky sighed, pressing a kiss into her hair and shaking his head. “You’re such an idiot,” He muttered.

“ _Hey-_ “ She retorted, tilting her head back to try and get a look at him.

“That’s not nice, Buck. She’s not an idiot, just…a bit dense?” Steve attempted to defend, sort of.

She guffawed. “I am _not-_ ” She said defensively.

Bucky snickered, slowly releasing her. She sighed, righting herself and turning to survey her so called friends. “I still say she’s an idiot for thinking that she doesn’t have a shot with him,” Bucky sighed.

She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I _don’t-_ “

“Why not?” Steve asked firmly.

“Because I’m not _her!_ ” She nearly shouted and then quickly lowered her voice, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I’m not-I’m not _beautiful_ and _tall_ and _shapely_ like her. I don’t have nicely manicured nails-I actually hate nail polish-and my hair is always a disaster, I’m lucky if I remember to brush it most mornings and I don’t wear business suits and expensive jewelry or _high heels-_ “ She huffed. “I’m not like her and Mr. Stark…he-he _deserves_ someone so put together and perfect to match his perfect and I’m-I’m not that,” She trailed off, frowning, her arms slipping to rest limply at her sides.

Steve sighed deeply, his own arms unfolding as he looked towards his lover who was wearing a look of incredulity as he stared at Julie. “Alright, Buck. You might’ve been right,” He confessed.

“ _See?!_ ” Bucky guffawed and then under his breath. “ _Idiot-_ “

Julie’s frown only deepened as she looked between them. “Nice friends you two asshats are,” She muttered, amused for half a second when Steve appeared to try and understand the name calling.

Bucky huffed, rolling his eyes. “Julie, can we just talk about this like adults for _two-seconds?_ ”

Julie made a face. “ _You’re_ the one who called me an idiot.”

Bucky tried not to smirk as he shrugged, conceding the point. “Fair enough, but it’s totally warranted. You’re being ridiculous. _Steve_ , tell her she’s being ridiculous.”

Steve sighed deeply, gaze sweeping back to Julie. “You’re being ridiculous, Bucky’s right.”

“But I’m not! I’m just stating the facts!” She blurted, disbelief clearly reflected in her features. “I’m _not like her_ -“

“No, you’re right, _you’re not_. But why is that a bad thing?” Steve demanded, maybe a little harsher than he intended.

Julie shook her head, momentarily stalled as she let the sound of his voice wash over her. “Be-because that’s what Tony likes. Beautiful business women with curves and nice hair and a pretty smile-I-I’m not like that, _I’m-_ “ Her cheeks went tight as she gave an odd sort of grimace. “He called me _willowy_ -today in the lab when I was helping him with the suit,” She clarified, her pout back. “In what world is that beautiful?” She asked sadly, dejected gaze falling to the floor, her usually bright blue eyes now brimming with tears.

“In mine it is,” Bucky said softly, gaze sweeping over her frame. “Willow trees are beautiful, willowy isn’t a bad way to describe someone, Julie. I think it’s a very sweet thing to say about you and I think you’re gorgeous, Julie. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and I think every bit of you is lovely.”

Julie shifted slightly, still not looking up at them, but her cheeks had gone a light pink at his confession. Steve sighed softly then, reaching out and taking her wrist. He gave it a gentle pull. She let herself be led over towards the sofa, watching as Steve took a seat and then made her sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of him. She still steadfastly refused to meet his gaze, hands fidgeting slightly in her lap.

Steve let out a slow breath, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs. “Once upon a time, there was this boy…little Stevie Rogers,” He told her, ducking his head in hopes of catching her eye.

It worked.

Her gaze flickered up to look into his face and he smiled warmly at her before continuing. “He didn’t think he’d been given the best lot in life, always dealing with illnesses and bullies and being generally just down on his luck…until one day when he met another boy, James Bucky Barnes.”

Julie swallowed, gaze darting over to see the man himself watching Steve with such love shining in his grey-blue eyes. When she looked back at Steve, he had a watery smile tugging at his lips. “Bucky and Steve quickly became the best of friends and little Stevie Rogers felt like he was the luckiest boy in the world, because Bucky never teased him, never told him he wasn’t handsome or that he looked sickly or frail. _No-_ “ Steve murmured. “Bucky told him he was-and I’m quoting him here-‘ _the prettiest fella I’ve ever laid eyes on’-_ “ Steve chuckled. “And then I socked him in the nose.”

Julie spluttered a laugh at that, her cheeks heating adorably as she looked between the two men, noting Bucky’s amused smile and shining eyes. “Barely even hurt,” Bucky tried to defend, his voice having turned a little hoarse and Steve smirked.

“Course it didn’t, _jerk-_ “ He snickered.

Bucky rolled his eyes, coming over to the pair. “To be fair, I had startled him so bad and that’s why he punched me in the nose. I got in late one night and was trying to be sneaky…thought he was sleeping.”

Julie smiled, biting her lower lip gently. “The point is-“ Steve sighed, amusement still in his expression. “Bucky loved me for who I was-“

“Who you _are_ -“ Bucky corrected, coming closer and resting his metal hand against his lover’s shoulder.

Steve smiled, reaching up and placing his hand over top of his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Bucky loves me for who I am and I love him just the same. And Tony? He’ll love you for who you are…if you let him.”

Julie swallowed, smile fading so quickly and uncertainty taking its place. “Will he though? I-I saw them hugging before we left the lab…he just-he looked so _relieved_ to be holding her,” She said, a frown marring her features as she shook her head. “He obviously still loves her.”

Steve and Bucky both sighed at that. “He and Pepper have been through a lot together. I know they still care about each other and they may still love each other, but it’s not the same. Besides, she’s been seeing Rhodey for a few months now and I’m pretty sure it’s serious,” Bucky reassured.

Julie blinked, looking up at him tentatively. “ _Rhodey?_ As in, Colonel James Rhodes?”

“Yeah, you know him?” Bucky inquired.

Julie spluttered, eyes suddenly a little more bright. “I know _of_ him. Stark’s been avoiding his calls for _weeks_. I even had to play secretary for him at one point just to defer a call that he’d accidentally answered.”

Steve chuckled softly. “Yeah…well, hopefully they’ve worked that all out by now. Pretty sure Pepper was there to set him straight.”

Bucky sighed, looking back down at Julie. “So…”

Julie blinked at him before blowing out a slow breath. “So…?”

Steve smiled at her. “Going to stop beating yourself up about this and believe that he can love you for who you are?”

She blinked at him and grimaced slightly. “I-I don’t even know if he likes me at all like that-not as more than a friend, anyway,” She admitted.

Bucky sighed. “Trust me, doll. He’s likes you like that.”

Julie shifted uncomfortably. “I still don’t think I stand much of a chance,” She murmured. “I’ve never really had much luck in the whole dating scene. Mr. Stark…seems like the kind of person who is a bit more… _experienced_ and probably more than a tad… _adventurous_. How can I even hope to get his attention when I’m pretty well starting at square one?”

Bucky chuckled softly. “Just be yourself, doll. It won’t take much if any kind of attempt on your part to get his attention. Trust me when I say you’ve already got it.”

She chuckled nervously, running a hand through her hair. Obviously still a bit disbelieving over the idea that Tony might think of her in that way. “I still don’t think I have any game, I mean, I’ve never even had a _boyfriend_ , so it’s not like I’ve had any practice in… _wooing_ someone,” She said lamely. “ _God_ -I am an idiot,” She muttered after a beat.

Steve and Bucky both snickered, rolling their eyes in unison. “Nah, you’re not. Just be yourself, you’ve already gotten into his workshop and I’m pretty sure that’s farther than like 99.9% of the women he’s been with,” Bucky admitted.

“Has he really been with a lot of women?” She asked nervously, voice having gone quiet.

Bucky grimaced, looking to Steve for help. “He gave up the Playboy image years ago, the tabloids just haven’t caught on,” Steve said drily.

She smiled uncomfortably, looking down at her hands. “Thought as much.”

Steve smiled lightly and glanced to Bucky who was looking at the clock over the stove and Steve panicked a little bit. “Oh, uh, we should probably get going. We need to get changed before dinner,” Steve told her.

Julie looked to him curiously, brows furrowing. “Why do you need to change? You look fine,” She said dismissively, not even bothering to give him a cursory once over; Steve Rogers always looked fine, _damn fine._

Steve bit his lower lip nervously and Julie’s eyes narrowed. “What’s going on?”

“ _Nothing-_ “ Steve said far too hastily and Bucky groaned.

“You’re so bad at this, Stevie,” He muttered, turning his attention back to Julie. “ _Honey_ , why don’t you go get cleaned up and maybe put on some jeans, a nice blouse and then come down for dinner?” Bucky tried, batting his eyelashes all pretty like at her.

She cocked her head to the side as she observed him quietly for a beat. “ _Honey?_ ” She deadpanned. “I tolerate the _doll_ you like to tack on every now and then, but _honey?_ I ought’a smack you,” She mock threatened, unable to stop the little tilt to her lips.

Steve snickered and tried to smother it halfheartedly against his shoulder as he turned his head, watching as Bucky’s sweet and innocent face went all snarky and amused. “The snark on this kid, Stevie,” Bucky teased and then she was smacking him playfully at the hip.

“I am not a _kid-_ “ She denied, scowling up at him adorably.

Bucky grinned, pretending to shy away from her light smack as he snickered. “You’re young, _doll face_ -“ He teased.

Her scowl only intensified at that and then she was shoving at his hip, only to find him virtually immovable. She only scowled harder. “I’m almost 25,” She muttered. “You’re such an ass.”

Bucky snickered and Steve rolled his eyes. “You two settle down now, you know Buck’s just teasin’ you. It’s like his default setting,” Steve admitted and Bucky made a sort of noncommittal sound in the back of his throat.

Julie and Steve both huffed. “And 25 is pretty young, by the way,” Steve said easily, getting to his feet.

Julie glowered at him. “I know that,” She said in annoyance and both Steve and Bucky glanced to her curiously, a bit too much heat in her voice for their liking.

“What’s the matter?” Steve asked, concern bleeding through his tone.

Julie huffed, crossing her arms. “ _Nothing-_ “

“ _Ha-_ “ Steve deadpanned. “Try again.”

Julie took a deep breath, scowling at the carpet. “I’m going to be 25…soon…and what if that isn’t old enough?”

“Old enough _for…?_ ” Bucky trailed off curiously, hoping to draw more out of her.

She huffed, her scowl dissolving into a vicious pout. “For Mr. Stark.”

Bucky and Steve’s gaze softened almost simultaneously. “Oh, _honey-_ “ Steve murmured before he could stop himself.

But the playful smack he thought she’d give him never came, instead, Julie looked up at him with such worry reflected in her eyes. “What if he thinks I’m just a kid? What if he doesn’t even look at me as a young woman? With my smaller frame-maybe he doesn’t-“

“ _Julie-_ “ Bucky sighed. “Please stop right there.”

She stopped, but her pout didn’t disappear as she looked to him. “He has never once treated you like a child, has he? He’s never called you kid, like he sometimes slips up with Wanda and Peter, even Darcy on occasion. You told me that once, happy that he treated you as an equal partner in your work,” Bucky said firmly.

“He doesn’t treat you like a child, Julie. So why would he see you that way?” Steve offered gently.

Julie nodded quietly, hands fidgeting in her lap once again. “You’ve got to stop putting yourself down and start building yourself up, doll,” Bucky murmured. “You’ve got a lot more going for you than you give yourself credit for.”

Julie frowned slightly, rubbing at her upper arms nervously. “If you say so…”

“We do,” Steve said firmly.

“Now, go and get cleaned up. Dinner’s going to be ready in less than an hour,” Bucky prompted, coming up behind her and practically shooing her off towards her bedroom.

“I don’t know what you two are up to…” She murmured, letting herself be shooed, looking back at Steve, only to regret her decision immediately.

He was giving her the _biggest_ puppy dog eyes _ever_. She groaned. “Okay, _fine_ -get out so I can shower,” She muttered. “That face is _awful_ , my students were so right.”

“About what?” Steve prompted happily.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re a goddamn golden retriever puppy!” She called over her shoulder.

Steve grinned whilst Bucky snickered beside him, “Told you.”

She stopped when she’d gotten to the hallway, however, turning to survey them with a soft smile. “Thank you guys,” She said earnestly. “Means a lot to me…knowing I have friends like you I can count on.”

They smiled at her warmly. “Of course, doll,” Bucky said earnestly.

Steve winked at her and she smiled back at him. “Love you dorks!” She called, waving them off as she disappeared down the hall.

Steve and Bucky tried not to smile stupidly at one another as they left her apartment, listening to her humming along to some song or another while she started getting ready.


	12. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a chapter that I literally just wrote out over the course of a night and then edited today. It's got a bit of smut and lots of fun and yeah...so nothing is written past this chapter, but I'm working on it, haha. I'm trying so, so hard, I swear! But anyway, hope you enjoy it and yeah, please let me know what you think? I love comments. <3

Just under an hour later, Julie was feeling more comfortable, if a little nervous. She didn’t know why Bucky had told her to change into jeans and a nice blouse. Team dinner nights were usual pretty chill, everyone just wearing whatever they wanted because they’d all end up sprawled on couches or the floor watching movies and stuff by the end of it. She usually just wore leggings, her Uggs and a comfy sweater.

So, this was new.

She stood looking at herself in the hall mirror, hair pulled over her left shoulder in a long fish-tail braid that she’d spread out a bit to look fuller, with a soft pink ribbon tying it at the end in a small bow. She hadn’t bothered washing her hair again, figuring it would look better dry in the braid rather than wet. Thanks to her natural loose waves, she figured she could get away with it and she’d been right. She didn’t usually wear her hair in a braid, just once in a while when she felt she had the patience to actually sit and do it properly.

She glanced into the mirror at her reflection again. She thought she looked alright, not like she was trying too hard or anything. She’d opted for wearing a bit of mascara, but other than that, she didn’t usually wear much in terms of makeup, preferring a more natural look. She shifted, straightening her shirt, one that she actually hadn’t worn in a while. It was a pale mint coloured sweater that her friend Diana had bought her last Christmas with a low v-neckline in the front as well as the back.

And right down the middle of the back was a mint coloured silk ribbon that weaved its way in a braid, only to tie at the bottom of the sweater in a big loose bow. She loved the sweater, but felt it was a little too fancy to ever just wear around the Compound. But she thought dinner with the Team might be okay. She shrugged lightly before taking a deep breath and looking down at herself in her dark blue skinny jeans and socked feet.

“To wear Uggs or not to wear Uggs. That is the question,” She muttered under her breath, glancing back up into the mirror. “You should wear something nicer…” She tried to coerce herself, grimacing only a bit.

She pouted after a minute and then opened up her hallway closet and pulled out a pair of soft pink flats that had a bit of a point to them. No heel of course, just a bit of support, but she figured she could survive an evening in them. She smiled nervously as she slipped off her socks and put them on, only then catching her reflection in the mirror once again.

“Okay,” She said, taking a deeper breath. “ _Okay-_ “ She said again, more sure of herself this time.

She didn’t know why she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden about dinner with the Team. She loved them all like family and-okay, so she _totally_ knew why she was nervous. She now had some information about the status of Tony and Pepper’s relationship and well, the lack thereof of a romantic one, which was making her feel like a little bud of hope was forming in the pit of her stomach.

She took one more deeper breath before she was slipping out into the hallway and heading towards the elevator that would take her down to their common floor. She only realized she was chewing her lower lip when she caught her reflection in the steel walls of the elevator and she immediately made herself stop, chuckling softly and rolling her eyes at herself.

She sighed as the elevator dinged and pushed herself off of the back wall towards the doors as they slid open smoothly. She’d barely managed a step outside the doors, however, before a chorus of voices were hollering at her and just about startling the wits out of her.

“ ** _Surprise!_** ” The pretty well _entire_ Team and then some shouted at her. “ ** _Happy Birthday, Julie!_** ”

Julie stared at the group gathered in the living room, huge smiles and bright eyes all turned on her. She spluttered, her cheeks heating wonderfully as she looked to them in complete surprise. She hadn’t realized she’d taken a step back, startled by all the noise until Peter was calling out to her. “Where do you think you’re going?!” He asked her, laughter in his voice.

She spluttered a laugh, her hands coming up to cover her mouth and her no doubt glorious blush. “N-no where, sorry. _Wow_ …you guys…technically it’s tomorrow,” She whined, surprise and embarrassment warring in her chest.

She smiled as Darcy came over and dragged her farther into the room, laughter escaping her friends as they all started hugging and pressing kisses to her cheeks as they pulled her farther into the living room. Pretty well everyone was there, Darcy, Jane, Thor, Wanda, Peter, Bruce, Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Clint…and of course, Tony.

Julie was bright red by the time she’d been hugged or kissed or patted by her friends and she smiled warmly around the room at everyone. “Thank you guys so much, this was really unexpected. I didn’t think you all knew when my birthday was,” She admitted, rubbing her elbow nervously.

“Of course we know when your birthday is and we know it’s tomorrow but we’re celebrating today,” Steve said easily, the rest of the group murmuring their agreement.

She smiled shyly. “You guys are so sweet.”

Bucky chuckled softly. “Can’t believe Stevie almost ruined the surprise too.”

Steve spluttered and Julie grinned wryly. “ _Almost,_ ” She agreed cheekily.

Steve’s cheeks heated. “I’m probably the absolute worst to keep surprises under wraps, I’ll be honest.”

The group laughed and then Julie was being led towards the kitchen, Tony moving to make a very grand gesture towards their giant kitchen table…that was absolutely _covered_ in sushi. “Dinner is served!” Tony announced and Julie positively beamed.

“ _Sushi!_ ” She shouted in surprise, beyond excited, hands coming up to press together eagerly. “I _love_ sushi,” She admitted happily.

The group laughed and Bucky came over to pat her lightly on her shoulder. “We know, doll.”

She laughed again, her cheeks still that adorable shade of pink as she nudged him lightly with her elbow, gaze straying towards Tony who was smiling warmly at her. “Alright, birthday girl, take a seat at the head of the table, if you will,” Tony said, motioning towards the head of the table where Steve was pulling out a chair for her.

She laughed, still feeling all kinds of shy and embarrassed before Bucky was nudging her towards the blonde. She went, murmuring her thanks as she slipped into her seat and then everyone else was taking their seats; except Tony and Thor. They were busy making sure everyone had drinks and when Tony came over to Julie with what looked like a freshly poured glass of white wine, he bent and whispered to her as he set her glass down in front of her.

“You need to be _very_ careful with this stuff,” He said gently, gaze flickering down her frame and doing his very best not to breathe in deep just so he could smell her and her lovely perfume; she never wore perfume.

Julie glanced up at him curiously and then eyed her glass. “What is it?” She asked curiously.

Tony smirked. “A gift from Thor, all the way from Asgard.”

Julie looked up at him in awe. “Seriously?”

Tony chuckled. “ _Seriously_ , it’ll even knock Steve and Bucky on their asses if they’re not careful…so just… _careful_ ,” He warned.

She laughed, shaking her head as she eyed the glass again and then watched as Peter tried to steal a sip from Clint’s glass, only for his hand to get swatted by a barely ruffled Natasha. “I’ll be careful,” She agreed, smiling brightly as Tony sat down to her left, having finished handing out the wine with Thor’s help.

“Alright- _alright-_ “ Bucky said, trying to calm everyone down and then pointedly looking in Tony’s direction.

Tony cleared his throat slightly, lifting his own glass and motioning for everyone to do the same. “I’d like you all to raise your glasses in a toast to the lovely Miss O’Donnell on her 25th birthday,” Tony requested, catching her eye.

She smiled at him nervously, ducking her head shyly. “Happy Birthday, Julie,” He announced and then the table was erupting with everyone calling out their own Happy Birthday’s to her as well.

She smiled wonderfully shy and bright at her friends. “Thank you guys so much for celebrating with me,” She said honestly, raising her own glass in toasting with them before taking a tentative sip, noting with amusement that Peter was sipping something that looked a lot like orange juice with a giant pout on his face.

The first taste was like Heaven and she couldn’t help the soft groan that escaped her at the incredible burst of flavour on her tongue. She chased the taste on her lips as she lowered her glass to the table, feeling a wonderful warmth spread its way through her, positively heating her up from the inside out. She took a deep breath, staring at her glass in wonder. “ _Wow-_ “ She managed to breathe. “That’s _amazing_ …whatever it is.”

She heard a few chuckles from around the table, but Thor’s laughter was so much louder than everyone else’s. “It is a mead from my home. Very potent to mortals, or so I’m told,” Thor told her.

She smiled across at him as she nodded. “It’s sweet, but not incredibly so, it just tastes so light and fruity, almost like apples and pears and-“ She looked to Bucky and gave him teasing look. “ _Honey_ ,” She finished.

Thor and the others chuckled, Bucky snickering under his breath and Steve rolling his eyes at his lover’s side. “Aye, it is fairly sweet,” Thor admitted. “I trust you are enjoying it?”

“Oh I definitely am. Thank you, Thor,” She said sincerely, smiling across at the _God_ and trying not to shake her head at the fact that yes, he was indeed a God.

“Alright, I’m _starving-_ “ Tony admitted, glancing towards Julie expectantly.

“ _Itdakimasu!_ ” She called out happily, motioning towards the table in a gesture that screamed; _hurry up and eat already!_

Only to then have to explain what she’d called out. It was a Japanese phrase you said before eating and in English, it translated to ‘I humbly receive,’ which the group thought was amazing. No sooner did they dig in, did conversation start flowing freely, everyone talking about what it was like for them to turn 25 and some of the younger ones talking about how they hoped they’d never turn 25 and if they could maybe stay 21 forever, _that would be great_. Julie was smiling, laughing along with everyone as they picked at all the yummy bits of sushi, she enjoying her maki rolls and edamame and just about everyone insisting that she try a bite of whatever new thing they uncovered.

Everything was delicious and they were all thoroughly enjoying themselves and before long, dinner was finished and the group was all tidying up together while Tony and Thor carried the remains of the mead over to the bar to tuck away for safekeeping. Julie practically bounced over to where Steve and Bucky were busy fiddling around with the coffee table in the living room.

“What are you guys doing?” She asked curiously, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she tried to get a look-see.

Steve glanced to her, noting the happy smile, the light flush to her cheeks and the overall over-eagerness she was exuding. “You finished your drink too fast,” Steve stated flatly, prompting Bucky to glance over to Julie as well after they’d safely lifted the table up the few steps to set it out of the way by the window.

Julie beamed at them. “I didn’t drink it too fast,” She tried to insist, but then she hiccuped and Bucky grinned wryly at her.

“You’re so fuckin’ adorable,” Bucky admitted under his breath and Steve tried not to cackle when Julie narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, obviously not having heard him.

“ _So-_ “ She prompted. “What are you doing?” She tried again, watching as they went to lift the couch together and then the other sofa…and then the lazy-boy; making sure to put them all well enough away from the sunken part of the living room.

“We’re making a dance floor,” Bucky announced proudly, standing back once they were finished and making sure their job was done.

Julie blinked owlishly at him. “A dance floor?”

Bucky hummed, smiling over at her before she was looking over towards Steve. “The girls thought it might be fun to let loose and have a real party, maybe play a drinking game, put on some music and we can all dance,” Steve told her.

She blinked in surprise. “That sounds great!” She admitted, happy laughter escaping her before she was bouncing away towards where some of the group had gathered around a pile of desserts that were being brought out, her exclamation of; “ _Ooh, cake!_ ” Reaching not only their ears, but Tony and Thor’s at the bar.

The genius and God shared a look with the super soldiers before pointedly hiding the bottle of mead, Tony unable to hide his fond smile as he came out from around the bar to see what all the commotion was about. Julie was busy laughing and chatting with Peter, Wanda and Darcy about the cake she could clearly see because they were doing a shit job of actually managing to hide it and Natasha tried to distract her by drawing her over to where Clint, Bruce and Jane were reorganizing a bunch of presents on the coffee table that’d been moved aside.

“Y-you guys didn’t honestly get me presents too…” She started uncertainly, gaze straying towards the gift bags and a few gift boxes all wrapped up in pretty wrapping paper.

Her eyes were round and so, _so_ big and Tony wondered how she was going to react when he finally got up the nerve to give her his present. “What’s a birthday party without presents!?” Clint exclaimed, laughing at the wide-eyed look Julie was giving the table of gifts.

“It’d still be a party,” Julie said almost petulantly, but her shy smile was too adorable to resist.

Natasha chuckled, glancing towards Bruce and Wanda who were setting the last couple of presents down on the table. “You’re our friend, Julie. Of course we got your presents,” Natasha told her easily.

Julie looked over at the red-head, a warm smile stretching across her face. “That’s really sweet of you guys, but it really wasn’t-“

“Oh, _stop it-_ “ Darcy laughed, giving the woman a light nudge. “And it’s time for presents and then you can have your cake.”

Julie laughed, her cheeks heating before she was being shooed towards the lazy-boy to sit and open her gifts. Tony hung back a bit, watching with the rest of the group as Steve handed her each present in turn and with each tear of paper or flourish of tissue paper being pulled free and tossed over her shoulder, she let out more and more delighted laughter and happy smiles as she opened her gifts.

She received an exotic set of teas and a book on yoga and meditation from Bruce, a pair of cozy UGG slippers[like, actual ones] from Wanda. Darcy gifted her a new yoga mat in a deep navy blue, one that apparently Julie had been looking at buying online for a while, along with a set of essential oils that she could use in her favourite diffuser.

Clint and Natasha got her a light grey faux sheepskin throw for her sofa and another in black for her bed, as well as a pair of possibly the world’s softest set of Egyptian cotton sheets. When she got to Peter’s gift, she laughed so hard, incredibly floored by the idea. He had put together an assortment of t-shirts, all Avengers merchandise. There was a black t-shirt with Hawkeye’s symbol over the right side of the chest, another black shirt with the Black Widow’s symbol on the upper back.

There was a dark green one with Hulk’s facial profile cast in shadow over the chest, a white shirt with Thor’s golden helmet and hammer up over the right, a dark grey long sleeved shirt with Bucky’s metal arm detailed down the left sleeve, a navy blue t-shirt with Steve’s shield front and centre and then two bright red shirts. She pulled the first one out Peter shifted uncomfortably in his spot. It was a Spider-Man shirt and Julie looked at it fondly. 

“He’s the only Avenger I haven’t met yet,” She said softly, gaze still stuck on the Spider-Man detailing she’d only ever seen in news videos and articles.

Peter cleared his throat slightly. “ _Oh?_ I used to actually photograph him…for uh, the Daily Bugle. It’s been a while since I ran into him, but uh, maybe I could see if he’d pop by sometime. You know, to say hello, introduce himself.”

Julie’s eyes were as round as saucers as she looked to him. “ _Seriously?_ That would be so cool. I’d love to meet Spider-Man,” She told him eagerly. “He’s something else, swinging from rooftops and looking out for the little guys. I remember reading about him in the paper, talking about how he always says something like, ‘ _just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man here’_ so awesome,” She sighed dreamily.

Peter’s cheeks were about ready to do their best impression of a tomato and if Julie hadn’t been so distracted by the next red t-shirt in her present, the group was sure she’d have figured out that he was in fact, Spider-Man in about two-seconds flat.

She glanced down at the t-shirt and grinned wryly over at Tony as she held it up. It was the Iron Man helmet, just the gold plating and eye holes visible in the mask displayed, but it was unmistakable. Tony laughed, shaking a finger at her. “Now you’ve got something to match that awesome sticker you have on your _iPad_ ,” He drawled, a brow raising in challenge.

Her cheeks pinked, but before she could say anything, both Clint and Peter were scowling at her. “An _iPad?_ Seriously Jules? That’s like, _unacceptable_ or something, has to be,” Clint admonished.

Peter shook his head. “ _Totally_ unacceptable,” He agreed.

She laughed, shrugging lightly as she folded up all the shirts. “It’s my personal tablet. Something that isn’t Stark-tech and you know, that Jarvis could maybe get into.”

Tony grinned, rolling his eyes. “I wouldn’t set Jarvis on your personal files.”

She fixed him with a flat look. “Uh huh, because you totally don’t keep tabs on the Team’s internet search history or anything, _right_ , Mr. Stark?”

Tony floundered when just about a dozen sets of eyes turned on him and he immediately tried to diffuse the situation by focusing on her. “Why? What have you been looking at that would warrant me keeping tabs on you, _Miss O’Donnell?_ ”

She grinned at him lasciviously. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Tony spluttered as the group erupted into giggles and then Clint muttered, “I bet it’s his sex tapes.”

Julie barked out a surprise laugh, covering her face as an enormous blush overtook her, her gaze straying towards the archer. “Those don’t actually exist…” She said doubtfully, but there was a question in her tone.

Clint’s brows ticked up in challenge as he looked at Tony and the genius glowered. “No _they don’t exist_ ,” He muttered in annoyance and then under his breath, “I had them all erased…”

Julie’s momentary shock was overlapped by Darcy proudly exclaiming, “It was on the internet, Stark. Face it, it’ll be out there forever.”

“Not if I can help it,” Tony muttered, shaking his head, but he was still smiling a little bit.

The group devolved into soft giggles and soon they were insisting Julie finish opening up her presents. Steve and Bucky bought her a new pair of headphones-not wireless-and Tony had something to say about it, of course. “But then they wouldn’t work with my _iPod_ ,” Julie had insisted, grinning evilly as Steve and Bucky tried not to snicker; they failed.

They also got her a new duffel bag for her trips to the studio and some rather expensive hand creams and body lotions, which she was immediately ecstatic about. She groaned loudly. “I absolutely love this skin care line. I’ve been dying to try out these products for ages,” She admitted, eyes scanning over the Biotherm creams they had given her.

The super-soldiers chuckled softly. “Glad you like it, doll,” Bucky murmured, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her temple.

She smiled brightly up at him before she was hopping up to hug him and Steve as well before taking her seat again. Jane and Thor got her a book on dancing styles in Asgard as well as a robe made from the finest material she was sure she’d ever seen or felt. One that was apparently tinged with magic and would change from its white colour to something uniquely her when worn against bare skin.

She had been about ready to try it on right then and there, but Jane had quietly told her that it was something that should be done in private because the colour it would take on would be something not only uniquely her, but something important to her. Something she thought as being the colour of a protection in her own mind, because there was a spell of protection woven into the strands.

She blinked in confusion as she looked to the brunette, wondering why that wouldn’t be something she could or would want to share with the Team and Jane had smiled warmly at her, glancing to her lover. “Thor has gifted a robe to each of us ladies…he insists on any kind of protection that might help, even in the smallest of ways,” Jane murmured.

Julie smiled at her. “That’s really lovely, Jane.”

Jane nodded. “Mine’s gold,” She said lightly, still watching her lover and thinking back to the first time she’d tried on her robe, the colour having shifted from white to the most glorious almost see-through gold; all shimmering with sparkles. Thor had been thrilled, obviously.

Julie’s cheeks had heated at the thought of her robe turning out Iron Man red or something equally as embarrassing and she decided that yes, privacy to wear it for the first time would be a good idea. After the gifts were exchanged, Tony was immediately trying to distract her from the fact that he hadn’t given her his present yet and was trying to get the girls to help him with the cake. It worked and she didn’t think anything of it. She would never have thought that he needed to _ever_ gift her anything. She already felt as if he did too much for her on a daily basis to warrant such a thing.

A short while later, Sam arrived with arms full of assorted alcohol, all of which Tony said hadn’t been necessary or in his exact words, ‘ _what are you doing bringing that swill into my home?’_ To which Sam had replied, ‘ _swill? This stuff is cheap, yeah, but it’s what got me through college and I figured they could use a break from all of your fancy-ass liquor and not feel so guilty when they mix it with pop or juice-‘_

The group had laughed at that, because yes, that was a thing. Tony only bought the best and they _all_ felt guilty mixing it with juice and pop. You weren’t _supposed_ to water that stuff down. _Didn’t you know?_ So while everyone was enjoying their cake and Bucky went to the bar with Natasha and Clint to mix up some margaritas and daiquiris and the like, Sam sidled up to Julie with a small bag.

She looked up at him in surprise. She didn’t know him as well as she’d like to. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and of course she was surprised when he handed over a gift to her. “So…I heard you like those fancy espresso drinks from May’s down the way and I thought I’d pick you up a little something you might enjoy…” He told her.

She blinked up at him, smiling shyly as she peeked into the bag, only to beam brightly up at him. “Ohhh, you got me their espresso beans!” She said happily.

He laughed, smiling warmly at her as he nodded. “Little birdie told me you had a monster of an espresso machine in your apartment and it could use a refill.”

She chuckled. “Thank you, really and yeah…I spend too much money over there as it is on a daily basis. I should really go back to making my own.”

He smiled at her, shrugging lightly. “It happens, plus, I know you can’t show up to the workshop empty handed,” He told her, glancing towards Tony.

She laughed at that. “No, no I can’t. I’d never hear the end of it if I did, I’m sure.”

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. “Well then, guess you’ll be making not only your coffee, but his too. There are about a dozen bags of this stuff in your kitchen at the moment.”

She laughed, her cheeks cheating adorably as she shook her head. “Thank you, Sam. That was really sweet of you,” She confessed, gently resting her hand against his bicep, giving him a gentle squeeze.

The motion captured Tony’s attention, actually, her happy laughter had. But now that Tony was looking at her and the casual way she was touching Sam, he felt his gut churn with a jealousy he was not at all comfortable with. He tried to stamp it down and cleared his throat as he turned away from them, only to come face to face with Natasha.

She had an eyebrow quirked as she regarded him and he couldn’t help blurting out, “ _What?_ ”

Natasha barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man. “Aren’t you going to give Julie her present?”

Tony swallowed hard, glancing over at Julie who had moved into the kitchen to put away her plate and a few others she’d scooped up into the dishwasher. “I-I suppose I could…while no one else is around…”

Natasha smirked lightly. “Ooh, did you get her something naughty?” She teased.

Tony rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her. “Of course not, Nat. Just-I’m nervous about giving her a gift, is all. Don’t need everyone watching.”

Natasha smiled fondly at her friend as she nodded. “Well, she’s alone for the moment. Why don’t you go and give it to her now and I’ll try and keep everyone else occupied? We do need to set up the music anyway.”

Tony nodded, biting his bottom lip nervously as he glanced towards Julie again, then back to the group gathered in the living room. “Just ask Jarvis for help,” He murmured absently.

Natasha hummed in agreement before she was slipping past him, her hand lightly grasping his shoulder as she went. Tony swallowed hard, reaching up and patting the front of his blazer and hearing the tell-tale crinkle of the envelope in his breast pocket. He blew out a breath and then walked towards the kitchen, Julie still busy slipping plates and cutlery into the dishwasher.

He smiled at her fondly for a beat and then cleared his throat slightly from the other side of the kitchen island. Julie turned around almost immediately, a warm smile gracing her features as she got a look at him. “Hey,” He said lamely, and then could have kicked himself, because he was sure he had the biggest dorky smile on his face.

She smiled at him shyly. “Hey…um, I wanted to say thank you, Mr. Stark…for all of this,” She said quietly, gesturing to the group off behind him. “Tonight’s been so much fun and…and I never would have met such incredible people and made such great friends if it weren’t for you.”

Tony floundered, staring at her in surprise. She had completely managed to catch him off guard with that. He cleared his throat, hoping he didn’t look as surprised as he felt and gave her an easy smile. “Not all my doing, I assure you. Just because _I_ like you, doesn’t mean _they_ had to-“ He blurted and tried to keep his shock in check when he realized what he’d just said.

She laughed lightly, one of her hands coming up to rub at her opposite elbow. She ducked her head shyly, a blush spreading over her cheeks and his smile turned a touch lopsided. _God,_ but she was beautiful. He smiled at the thought, a little more emboldened as he cleared his throat again and reached into his suit’s pocket, pulling out the envelope.

She glanced up into his face as he stretched out his hand, envelope outstretched between his fingers. She swallowed, glancing at the offering and then back up into his face, searching his expression and the depths of his chocolate eyes for a clue, he imagined. He cleared his throat lightly. “H-happy birthday, Julie,” He said gently.

She swallowed hard, tentatively reaching out to take the envelope, her gaze settled heavily upon it. “Y-you didn’t have to get me anything, Mr. Stark. You’ve already done so much for me,” She murmured softly.

He smiled, letting go of the parcel as soon as she had it in her grasp, watching as her gaze flickered back up to meet his. “Birthday presents are a thing, you do know that, right?” He teased lightly.

She laughed, smiling quietly across at him before she was timidly looking down at the envelope in her grasp. She peeked into it curiously, the tab of the envelope only tucked inside, not actually having sealed it properly or anything. She blinked, prying the fold back a bit and then she was pulling out the flap and the contents therein.

Her eyes went impossibly wide as she stared at the two tickets in her grasp, mouth dropping open in surprise before she was shouting out her obvious glee as she clutched them to her chest. “ _OH MY GOSH!_ ” She cried, drawing the attention of pretty well _everyone_ and Tony felt his heart rate pick up at seeing the absolute happiness take over her features.

She was so surprised, so happy and obviously shocked over the gift and when she heard Bucky’s curious question of, ‘ _what is it?_ ’ From nearby, she turned and practically launched herself at him. He caught her easily, laughing at her obvious excitement as she waved the tickets around in front of his face.

“Look what Tony got me!” She squeaked and Bucky grinned at her, taking note of what looked like concert tickets in her hand while Tony’s insides melted as she said his name.

Bucky was pretty sure they were for her favourite band and when he finally managed to get a proper look at them, he whistled. “ _Wow_ , tickets to _Panic!?_ That’s really awesome, oh and hey, look-they’re going to be playing in Malibu on Saturday. I guess that means you’ll be going to Malibu,” He said happily.

She blinked in surprise, looking more closely at the tickets and her mouth dropped open in shock, _again_. “In _Malibu?_ ” She blurted.

Tony chuckled, smiling sheepishly as he nodded, hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck nervously. “Yeah, thought you’d like to take a friend and I had Happy book a nice room for you and whoever you wanted to bring along. I set up a tour of the city for the day after the concert for you too, thought you could see the sights and all while you’re there or just hit the beach if you wanted,” He offered, shrugging lightly.

But Julie was staring at him now in confusion, her brows drawing together in a cute little furrow. So Tony trailed off slightly, watching her nervously. “What’s the matter?” He asked after a beat, aware that he literally had _all_ eyes on him at the moment.

“Y-you’re not going to come with me?” Came her dejected voice.

Tony’s heart simultaneously skipped, stopped and tried to escape from his chest cavity and he pushed out a heavy breath as he blinked in surprise. “I-well-I thought you’d want to take a friend, maybe Diana from the studio?” He asked, still staring at her and not really knowing what else to do or say to, well, _that._

Julie blinked at him for a moment, but then she was squirming in Bucky’s arms-still being held up by the super-soldier, her legs pretty well wrapped around his hips as she’d leapt into his arms-and he carefully let her down as she was obviously requesting. She shook her head, walking towards Tony and still holding onto the tickets tightly.

“I do want to take a friend and I’d like it if you would come with me,” She murmured, gaze solely focused on him. “B-but if you’re busy with work or-“ She started to defer, now chewing uncomfortably on her lower lip and Tony quickly shook his head.

“No, no, not busy with work at all. I’d love to go with you…” He swallowed hard. “If you’d like me to go with you.”

Julie’s eyes brightened and she gave him a tentative smile. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to…I don’t want to pressure you or an-“

“ _No-_ “ He breathed. “I- _no_ , I’d love to go with you, _honest._ It’ll be fun, I mean, I already know all the best places in Malibu, so I could show you around and the concert will be fun, I mean, I don’t exactly know much of their music,” He went on, almost missing Julie’s murmur of, ‘ _liar, I know you love that song Pas de Cheval_ ’ and Tony chuckled as he shook his head at her.

“But yeah, it could totally be fun and I got you backstage passes so you’ll get to meet with the band,” He continued.

Julie’s beautiful blue eyes did the saucer thing again and Tony was hard pressed not to let all of his affection bleed into his smile. “You got _backstage passes?_ ” She squeaked, completely bewildered.

Tony chuckled softly, rolling his eyes. “Of course I did, what kind of boss do you take me for?” He tried to joke.

She laughed, bright and beautiful and he smiled at her, unable to keep all of his fondness out of his expression. She shook her head at him, biting her lower lip and then she was rushing towards him and nearly bowling him over-despite her size-as she enveloped him in the most amazing hug, like, _ever._ He swallowed hard, barely resisting the urge to tense up for a split second before he was melting in her embrace; her arms wrapping around his middle as she tucked her cheek against his chest and hugged him so hard.

His own arms came to wrap around her of their own accord and he returned her embrace just as heartfelt and for just a moment, nothing and no one else existed. He could feel her chest rising and falling against him and he wondered belatedly if she could hear how loud his heart was beating in his own chest. He could smell her hair, her perfume that smelt of clean linen and just _her_ and he was so lost in all of her, so _gone_ on her.

He smiled gently as she started to draw away and he reluctantly let her go, her hands coming up-still holding the tickets-as she waggled them in front of her and then turned to display them excitedly to everyone else. “I can’t believe I’m going to get to meet _Panic!_ ” She shouted excitedly and then it sort of devolved from there.

Tony would be going with her to Malibu. It clearly hadn’t settled in yet, but oh, would it ever. He was shaken from his thoughts as Peter, Bucky, Steve, and the others came over and started going on about how awesome that was and telling her they hoped she’d have a good time and that she should definitely do a beach day with Tony and Tony…Tony just stood there smiling and trying not to think about the fact that he had just agreed to go on technically a mini-vacation with the woman of his dreams.

He was saved from his thoughts a moment later when Steve clapped him gently on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “Breathe, Tony. You’ll be fine, you’ll have fun and look, she’s so happy. Look how happy you’ve made her.”

Tony blew out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding as he nodded, slowly relaxing under the weight of Steve’s reassuring hand. “Y-yeah,” He managed to whisper and then they were being drawn into the group as Darcy, Jane and Wanda started up the music and everyone was heading back into the living room to make a fool of themselves.

Clint and Bucky ended up on bar duty for a while, though Tony did try to help, but ended up just getting more in the way than anything else, too busy watching Julie and the others dancing together in the living room. The playlist the girls had decided on was so incredibly random and no one could make heads or tails of it, but it was fun.

One minute they were all belting out the lyrics to Meghan Trainer’s _All About That Bass_ in an almost sing off and the next they were dancing their hearts out to Faber Drive’s _Get Up and Dance_. Tony still thought he enjoyed their dancing and singing the most when out of nowhere, Queen’s _Bohemian Rhapsody_ came on. He was in the midst of laughter when Julie bounded over to the bar with Peter and Darcy beside her and Darcy was demanding shots of tequila.

Julie looked momentarily panicked and Darcy laughed, but then they were looking to a far too eager Peter as he licked his lips and eyed the bottle Clint had produced. “Uh, no way, Pete. Sorry, but I don’t serve underage patrons in this joint,” Clint informed him and Peter chuckled softly, about to open his mouth to say something witty, definitely; but then his phone was ringing at him.

He pulled it from his back pocket and glanced down at it. His eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Is it really already ten?” He asked in disbelief. “Oh man, I gotta’-I have to go,” He said apologetically, turning his gaze towards Julie who looked concerned all of a sudden.

“Everything okay?” She asked nervously.

He nodded, giving her a soft smile. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Sorry, Julie, but I have to get going…curfew and all,” He said gently, casting a look towards Tony.

Tony cleared his throat slightly. “I can call Aunt May for you, Peter. You deserve to have a good night and stay for some fun and I know you don’t have class tomorrow.”

Peter smiled wryly and shook his head. “I appreciate that, Mr. Stark. But I really should get going.”

It was a cover, Tony knew. May knew he was here at the Compound tonight, he’d actually spoken to her earlier in the evening and said he’d have Peter brought home in the morning. But the kid wasn’t going home right now, he didn’t have to worry about curfew; he was going out patrolling. He sighed softly and nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Alright, well, just be safe getting home. Car’s waiting for you when you’re ready,” Tony told him lightly.

Peter nodded, smiling apologetically again at first him and then to Julie. He turned to her and she pouted at him before drawing him into a tight hug. “Thanks so much for the gifts, Peter. They’re really awesome,” She told him, squeezing him a bit tighter.

He chuckled as he rest his chin on her shoulder and nodded, hugging her back just as tight. “You’re welcome, Julie. Happy birthday…and just so you know? You don’t look at day over 21.”

She laughed, breaking their hug and pushing him away gently. “You’re such a dork,” She said fondly and he grinned at her, shaking his head.

“I’ll see you later- _guys-ladies-_ “ He said, giving the group a wave as he started to head for the elevators, a chorus of good bye’s reaching his ears.

“ _Alright-_ “ Sam suddenly chimed, sidling up to the bar with Natasha, Jane, Thor, Steve, and Bruce following him. “Now that it’s all adults,” He said cheekily, giving his friends an eyebrow wiggle.

The group laughed and Bucky and Clint started lining up the shot glasses while Tony pulled out the salt and limes he’d cut up earlier from the fridge. “Oh man-“ Julie breathed, eyeing up the line of shot glasses, now brimming with the golden liquid.

Darcy nudged her. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t do well with tequila,” She admitted with a shaky laugh and Darcy and Jane grinned.

“Oh, come on!” Darcy exclaimed. “It’ll be fun, we’ll all do a few shots and then get down and dirty on the dance floor.”

Julie laughed nervously, shaking her head and still eyeing up the shot glasses. “A _few_ shots?” She asked skeptically.

Sam and Clint snickered and she shot them an unimpressed look. “I think I can maybe handle one…for now,” She conceded.

The group chuckled and then Thor was clapping his hands together and motioning towards the shot glasses excitedly. “ _Come!_ Let me watch you all partake in this drinking contest!”

“It’s not a contest-” Bruce started to explain, but was quickly drowned out by the others laughing and starting to lick the backs of their hands to add the salt to them.

Julie took a breath, glancing over the bar to where Tony was watching her, having added the salt to the back of his hand as well. She chuckled, shaking her head as he flashed her a smile, but then Clint was shouting, “One-two- _three-_ “ And they were all licking the salt from their skin, downing their shot and Julie had a split second where she realized her lime wasn’t wear she put it.

She nearly spluttered at the harsh sting of the tequila but then Darcy was laughing beside her and when she turned to look the brunette was dangling the lime in front of her. She barely suppressed a laugh before Darcy was pressing it to her lips and she was biting into it, relishing in the tartness of the lime chasing the tequila.

When Darcy pulled her hand away, laughing as Julie took over and pulled only the skin from her lips, having bitten off the rest of it, she laughed too. “I should have warned you she’d do that,” Jane chuckled, grinning from her spot beside them and Julie shook her head.

“You’re such a bum!” Julie laughed, elbowing Darcy and grinning like a dork when Darcy just smacked her lips against her heated cheek.

The group was chuckling and smiling happily, joking around and fussing over what shot they should do next, but then Wanda was piping up. “Hang on, maybe Julie has a favourite shot she’d like to do.”

Julie smiled, shrugging lightly. “I like rum?”

Bucky snickered and shot Tony a glance, but the genius was already rooting around behind them. “I’ve got the _perfect_ rum for you, dearest,” He said and he completely missed her wide-eyed stare reflected in the bar’s mirror as he rooted around in the cupboard above him.

The others didn’t.

Her cheeks bloomed when she realized she had Natasha, Wanda, Jane and Darcy’s eyes on her and she surreptitiously managed to avoid Steve and Bucky’s grins as she ducked her head. Tony just called her _dearest_ and wasn’t that adorable. When Tony turned around, prize in hand, he had absolutely no idea why everyone was now staring at him like he’d just said the cutest thing in the world and he didn’t figure it out fast enough, apparently.

Julie wasn’t looking at him anymore though, she was eyeing the bottle he’d set on the bar between them nervously. “Uh…” She said eloquently.

“This is the good stuff, it’ll burn like hell on the way down,” He confessed. “But the after-burn is the best part.

Julie spluttered. “Th-that’s…”

“ _1952 Rhum Clement_ ,” Tony announced and before Julie could stop him, he was cracking open the bottle and she was exhaling loudly.

“ _Mr. Stark-_ “ She breathed heavily. “That’s an expensive fucking rum,” She blurted.

Tony blinked at her, setting the capped cork-top down beside them as he shrugged. “It’s good rum.”

She laughed, blinking at him almost dazedly. “It should be, considering it costs at least 1300$ a bottle.”

Tony grinned, shrugging as he moved to pour a few shots. “I can afford it,” He chuckled and Julie shook her head gently, eyeing the shot glass nervously.

She forgot sometimes, that Mr. Stark was…well, _Mr. Stark_. Because most of the time he was just Tony…or Stark, but she forgot what that all meant. He was a genius, _billionaire_ …philanthropist…the man of her dreams. She shook her head, letting out a nervous chuckle as she glanced towards her friends around her and they were all eyeing their own glasses with the same nervousness. Clearly they sometimes felt the overwhelmingness of the fact that yes, this was _The_ Tony Stark.

She shook her head. “Oh, _what the hell-_ “ She blurted and then raised her shot, smiling at her friends and gaze straying back to Tony who was looking at her a little oddly.

He blinked away the odd look and then he too was raising his glass, ready to take a shot. “To Julie!” Darcy yelled and then Clint was yelling, “Happy Birthday!”

And then they were downing their shots and _yep_ there was that _exquisite_ after-burn Tony was talking about. Julie groaned, smacking her shot glass down on the bar top as she breathed in harshly, just about every one else doing the same and practically wheezing with it. Even Steve, Bucky and Thor were breathing a little deeper; kind of.

“That’s quite the burn,” Steve agreed, both Thor and Bucky chuckling as they agreed- _mildly_.

Julie whistled as she shook her head, fanning herself for a moment with her hand before Darcy was suddenly grasping her wrist and dragging her back towards their makeshift dance floor. “Time to dance!” She cried and Julie could do nothing but laugh and let herself be led.

Tony hung out by the bar with Clint, Bruce, Steve and Bucky while they surveyed the group on the dance floor. Darcy dancing with Julie, Wanda with Sam and Thor with Jane. It was dance music now, not a lot of lyrics, just lots of bass and a the like. They’d moved past the fun songs for the time being, it seemed, the alcohol getting the better of them and so they started requesting more dance-like songs to just lose themselves to.

Tony was leaning nearly all of his weight on his left hand, braced heavily against the marble bar-top as he sipped idly from his glass of scotch, the ice clinking lightly as he settled it back down on the counter. He couldn’t stop staring at the way Julie was dancing. It was _nothing_ like what he’d seen in any of her videos before and he’d not been lucky enough to catch her dancing as much as he’d like to in the gym’s studio. But right now…right now she was dancing in such a dirty grind and sway with Darcy and it was just _doing_ things to him. Particularly a specific part of him that he really needed to get under control.

She had her back pressed nearly up against the brunette’s front as Darcy rest a hand on her slim hip and pressed in close. Tony swallowed hard, watching as Julie tipped her head back, smiling and laughing lightly as Darcy leaned in to talk into her ear and Julie’s hand reached up and back to grasp the back of Darcy’s neck, pulling her in closer.

And then Darcy’s eyes flickered over towards the bar and they landed on him. And Tony…poor Tony, couldn’t pull his eyes away as Darcy’s gaze flickered back towards Julie who was still dancing against her, smiling and swaying along to the music as Darcy’s eyes drifted down the blonde’s exposed neck, over the curve of her breasts and down her front and Tony…he was following that gaze with a far more heated and hungry look on his face.

And then Steve cleared his throat from beside him and he startled, his gaze wrenching away from the woman and looking towards Steve with the most _guilty_ expression _ever_ on his handsome face. “See something you like?” Bucky drawled from Steve’s other side and Tony’s cheeks heated of their own accord; he hated being caught.

He cleared his throat, shrugging and willing the awful blush from his cheeks as he fiddled with his glass. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” He muttered, evading the obvious, eyes staying firmly fixed upon his glass.

Clint snickered, Bruce rolled his eyes, Natasha sighed softly, Steve huffed and Bucky groaned- _loudly_. “You’re a bad liar,” Bucky sighed.

Tony spluttered. “I am _the best_ liar,” He informed them.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Not when it involves her, you ain’t.”

Tony huffed, downing the rest of his scotch and only grimacing a little bit. There was more in his glass than he’d realized. Bruce was eyeing him and giving him this _look_ and Tony shrugged. “She does look lovely,” Natasha said lightly, her gaze straying towards the dance floor where Darcy was now the one dancing with Sam and Wanda had her back pressed up against Julie’s front, the blonde completely lost in her own little world as the two danced together.

Tony swallowed hard, his own gaze following Nat’s and he blew out a breath, watching as Julie’s hips did something that should be _absolutely illegal_ in _all_ states. He blinked, gaze snapping back to see Natasha smirking lightly. “Mmm, maybe I should dance with her. She looks like fun and boy, she’s a handsy drunk, isn’t she?” The red-head laughed, watching as Julie’s left hand came to settle around the front of Wanda’s stomach, the brunette gently resting her own hand over Julie’s while the blonde’s right hand came up to caress down along Wanda’s arm as she tucked her nose in against Wanda’s neck.

“Please don’t do that,” Tony murmured, soft and desperate and Natasha’s gaze softened as she turned back to the genius.

“There’s already way too much gorgeous on that dance floor…don’t add to it,” He muttered, shaking his head and looking to her pleadingly.

Her gaze softened further and she smiled at him, sweet and affectionate as she bowed her head slightly. But then the music was shifting into a quieter register, albeit, still playing the same sort of dance music, but the group from the living room was all being herded towards the bar by a very eager Darcy and Jane dragging Wanda, Julie and Thor along for the ride.

“More shots!” Jane proclaimed and the group at the bar inwardly groaned.

This was going to be a long night.

“Wait- _wait!_ ” Darcy laughed. “How about we do _body_ shots?” She asked excitedly.

Julie’s eyes went round as she looked to the girls curiously. “What the heck are body shots?”

Darcy blinked at her and then she was sporting the biggest shit eating grin, _ever._ “ _Ohhh_ they are so much fun. You’ll love this, _alright!_ ” Darcy yelled, clapping her hands together. “Everyone partner up!”

Tony immediately tried to leave the bar, wanting to very quickly find himself in the safety of a locked bathroom. This was bad, this was going to be very bad. He needed to get out of here, like _now._ But apparently Bucky caught on to his plan pretty quickly and coughed, hoping to draw more than one or two of the group’s attention to help in the keeping Tony corralled in the bar plan.

He wasn’t disappointed.

Steve caught him around the waist as he started to slip by and then he was hip-checking him- _lightly_ -towards Julie and the girls. “Oh _perfect!_ ” Darcy announced, grasping Tony’s upper arms and pressing him towards Julie. “You can partner with the birthday girl, I’ll partner with Brucey-bear, Thor with Jane- _obviously_ -Steve with Bucky, Nat with Clint and then Wanda with Sam!”

Tony spluttered looking to Julie in a panic but Julie just looked confused. “I still don’t know what we’re doing,” She admitted, moving to stand next to Tony and looking to him for help; apparently wanting him to somehow clue her in.

“ _Body shots-_ “ Darcy proclaimed again, as if that would explain it.

Julie chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her ear and pushing her sleeves up a bit more. She was obviously rather warm. Tony swallowed hard as he watched a bead of sweat roll down the side of her neck. He desperately wanted to lick it off her, maybe nip her sensitive skin and-

“What Darcy is trying to say, is that she’d like us all to do body shots- _which are-_ “ Jane started to explain.

“When we either hold a shot glass between our cleavage and have our partner remove it-using only their mouth-and the other is where we pour the shot into the dip of a back or the stomach and belly button and lick it up!” Darcy announced and just about everyone’s eyes bugged out of their skulls.

“Y-you can’t be serious…” Steve breathed, looking all kinds of embarrassed by the idea.

Natasha elbowed him. “Oh come on, Rogers. You’ve got plenty of cleavage, Bucky’ll have no trouble with you,” She chuckled, winking at him.

Steve’s cheeks coloured and Bucky grinned at his lover. “Whaddya’ say, Stevie? Wanna’ let me get my mouth on you?” Bucky tried, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Steve spluttered, glancing around at his friends, some who looked over-eager and the others looking downright terrified. “Uh…as long as we _all_ agree to participate…then I really can’t say no…”

Darcy practically squealed with delight, tugging a slightly uncomfortable and whole lotta’ nervous Bruce towards the kitchen. “Grab the tequila!” Darcy called over her shoulder. “And don’t forget the salt, limes and glasses!”

Clint was all over that, scooping up everything he could carry with Bucky’s all too eager help. But then Steve was doing an odd sort of eyebrow wiggle in Tony’s direction and the genius was left trying to figure it out while still feeling all kinds of uncomfortable with the turn of events. And then Steve’s gaze shot towards Julie and it dawned on him.

He turned to survey the young woman who was standing quietly at his side and looking nervous and young and so, _so_ shy all of a sudden. “What’s the matter?” He quickly asked her, moving to put himself in front of her.

She swallowed, looking up into his face and quickly shaking her head. “ _Nothing-_ “ She said, much too fast.

But then she was gone, off to the kitchen and following just about everyone else. Tony blinked, slowly following the group with Steve shooting him curious glances, Bucky and Sam doing the same beside him. Tony was concerned, because now she was standing near Wanda and Darcy and chewing her lower lip as she looked between her friends and steadfastly refused to look at him. He swallowed, wondering if he’d somehow upset her and then it dawned on him. She was supposed to be his partner in this. She didn’t want to be his partner.

It was like a slap to the face and he swallowed hard, trying to tramp down on the panic and rejection he felt rising up in his gut. But then Darcy was smiling and clapping, drawing his and the rest of their attention as she ushered Bucky and Clint over with everything. “Okay, so Bruce and I will quickly demonstrate the cleavage shot and I’m sure you can all figure out the belly and back shots,” She chuckled, grinning widely. “It’s easy!”

Bruce spluttered beside her, cheeks going bright red as he tried _desperately_ not to look at her aforementioned cleavage. She was wearing a v-neck t-shirt, maroon and yep, she had a _glorious_ amount of cleavage. Darcy caught his attempt and grinned cheekily at him. “Ready, Brucey?” She teased.

Bruce tried not to look so panicked as he blew out a breath, shrugging and ultimately giving up. Once Darcy put her mind to something, you’d best just go along with it or you really would never hear the end of it. “Yeah, okay,” He sighed, chuckling and wiping the sudden bit of sweat from his brow.

She beamed at him and then was ordering Clint to pour her a shot while she got comfortable. Which was, she basically hopped up on the edge of the counter, spreading her legs enough for Bruce to step between them and then she had Jane helpfully place the shot glass between her breasts, settled nicely in her cleavage. Then Jane was piping up.

“Body part?” She asked curiously, holding up the salt shaker and lime.

Darcy beamed at her and tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck. “Side of the neck will do,” She chuckled and Bruce watched in dawning horror when he realized what was about to happen.

Jane laughed, shaking her head before she was leaning in and licking a spot on her neck and then sprinkling salt there. Darcy giggled and tried desperately not to spill the shot and Bruce couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at the scene.

“So I lick the salt…do the shot and then eat the lime?” Bruce asked warily, eyeing the lime that Jane was now presenting him with before taking it.

“That’s it!” Darcy told him with a smirk.

Bruce blew out a breath, shaking his head as he looked at her and then the shot glass nestled snugly between her breasts. She had to stifle her laughter as Bruce sighed, apparently now having given up any hope of getting out of this completely.

“Alright,” He muttered, shaking out his hands, still holding onto the lime though.

Clint laughed, grinning broadly at the scientist. “Go on, Brucey. Show us how it’s done.”

Bruce spluttered, shaking his head and then he glanced up into Darcy’s twinkling eyes before she was tilting her head to the side and offering him her neck. He smirked, muttering, “What the hell-“ Before he was pressing in closer, swiping his tongue against the spot on her neck and tasting the salt.

He licked it off and then tipped his head down between her breasts and wrapping his lips around the opening of the shot glass; his lips just ghosting against her heated skin before he pulled it free and tipped it back, downing the golden liquid. Darcy breathed out slowly as he did so and then watched eagerly as he finished, lowering the glass and popping the lime into his mouth, biting down and chasing the harsh sting of the alcohol with the lime.

Darcy grinned at him, biting her lower lip as she watched him. “ _Aand_ that’s how it’s done, ladies and gents!”

Bruce chuckled softly, pulling out the remains of the lime and tossing it in the garbage bag they’d set up. He shook his head, smiling fondly and a tad embarrassed by the whole thing. But hey, these were his friends. He glanced around at them and made a gesture towards each other. “Well, _have at it_. I’m not going to be the only one embarrassing myself tonight.”

The others laughed and soon they were all trying to orchestrate themselves into position, Clint and Nat offering to pour the shots while everyone got settled. They could wait their turn. So, basically, this is how it went down.

Thor stood eagerly between Jane’s spread knees as she sat up on the counter top in front of him, pressing her breasts together to make enough cleavage for the shot glass. Darcy and Bruce were watching this round while Wanda sat up next to Jane in a similar position, Sam standing between her legs looking all kinds of nervous. Steve had his shirt off, so that was exciting, settled up on the island with Jane and Wanda and looking about ready to burst into flames, he was so red.

He steadfastly refused to get into position yet, letting Bucky hold onto the full shot of tequila for a few more minutes while he tried to stealthily watch Tony and Julie beside them. But Julie was refusing to meet anyone’s gaze and Darcy quickly noticed.

“What’s the hold up over here?” Darcy chuckled, waltzing over and eyeing up Tony and then Julie.

Her gaze immediately softened when she saw how nervous and uncomfortable she looked. “Oh hey, if you’re not up for this, that’s totally okay-“ She started to reassure, but then Julie shook her head, her cheeks heating.

“Well, I-I want to,” She admitted, chuckling softly as she shrugged and folded her arms in front of her chest, looking agitated and restless.

“Then what’s the matter?” Darcy asked and now she had Bucky by her side and looking to her worriedly; he had a hunch.

“I don’t exactly-“ Julie started and then huffed, dropping her arms and gesturing to her front and looking away, her cheeks positively flaming now.

Darcy rolled her eyes and Bucky guffawed. “I’m gonna’ smack you,” Bucky warned and she pouted at him adorably frustrated.

“Just you go ahead and try,” She threatened, eyes narrowing at him and he rolled his eyes; _Christ_ , but the _sass;_ some days she really reminded him _waay_ too much of Stevie way back when.

“You’ve got a tank top on under there, I’m sure of it, take off the sweater, _honey,_ ” Bucky teased and she spluttered at him.

“The _mouth_ on you- _Steve_ , how the hell do you put up with him?” She asked in annoyance, but moved to strip her sweater off over her head nevertheless.

Steve snickered, shaking his head as he looked to Bucky. “It’s a bit of a talent, I’ll be honest,” The blonde went on and Julie rolled her eyes as she came out from under her sweater.

Tony managed to avert his gaze for half-a-second before he was treated to the sight of Julie’s gorgeously lithe and slender frame at his side, she still looking all kind of nervous and flushed as she averted her gaze and gestured towards her chest with a bit of a frustrated flourish. “I don’t-I don’t have much to work with…” She trailed off, still not meeting anyone’s gaze.

Bucky, Steve, Darcy and just about _everyone-_ including Tony-guffawed and started voicing their opinions on the matter. “So what, you don’t have big bazumba's, sweetheart. You’re _gorgeous_ -“ Darcy proclaimed, shaking her head.

“You’re lovely,” Steve announced, smiling so wonderfully bright at her.

Julie’s cheeks flushed and she resisted the urge to cover herself. She had a thin navy blue tank top on now with a soft pink bra and yeah…she knew she had like, _zero_ cleavage, barely filling out a 34AA, and she didn’t exactly feel like putting herself on display like this…not with Tony-… _looking at her like_ ** _that._**

She spared a glance and tried to stop her eyes from widening and going impossibly round as she caught him surreptitiously looking at her out of the corner of his eye and a very faint blush high on his cheeks. _It could be the alcohol-_ her brain tried to interject, but she really, _really_ hoped it wasn’t just the alcohol. Her cheeks heated and she glanced back to find Bucky and Darcy grinning at her.

“You’ve got a belly, _yes?_ ” Darcy prompted, reaching out and practically shoving up her tank top.

Julie laughed, nodding as Darcy tried to tickle her, twisting away from her teasing hands and bumping into Tony in the process. Tony’s hands settled on her bare hips to steady her as she bumped into him and he laughed nervously, keeping her steady and trying not to press up against her in the process. She laughed nervously, stepping out of his grasp and then turned to smile at him shyly.

“Then here,” Darcy sighed. “You lay on the counter, Tony, you get into position-“ She said teasingly, laughing when Tony said something unintelligible, but moved towards the counter anyway.

Julie laughed nervously, but did as she was told, Steve helping her up onto the counter beside him and helped her lay back. Julie was laughing and shifting nervously, blushing furiously too; right down to her navel, Tony soon realized as she laid back and covered her face with her hands.

The group was snickering softly and she tried to just laugh and go along with it, embarrassed beyond belief but not really wanting to put a stop to it. Tony hovered nearby, chuckling lightly to cover the embarrassing amount of nerves he was currently experiencing. He’d done lots of body shots off people before…this shouldn’t be any different…but it was…oh, it _so was._

He chuckled, shaking his head when he realized she was going to probably cover her face for the whole thing if they let her. He leaned over, grasping her wrists lightly and tugging her hands away from her face. “Julie,” He said gently, chuckling when she pouted up at him, but let him pull her hands away.

He smiled, shaking his head gently at her. “If you don’t want to do this…with me,” He said quietly. “That’s fine, just say so and I’ll get Cap over here to do the honours,” He chuckled and she huffed a laugh, glancing towards a grinning Steve.

She shook her head, biting her lower lip as she turned her attention back to Tony. “No, no. I want to do this with you, it’ll be fun,” She agreed, smiling shyly up at him.

He smirked down at her, shaking his head and still holding onto her slender wrists, only then realizing that he’d been caressing the insides of her wrists gently in an attempt to soothe her nerves. “Alright, but no backing out now, sweetheart,” He teased.

Her eyes immediately narrowed and there was a teasing lilt to her smile as she looked up at him. “You know I never could back down from a challenge, Stark,” She breathed and warmth seared up Tony’s spine as he watched her eyes darken.

“Uh, huh. You just worry about not getting ticklish on me. Because the more you squirm-“ He started to threaten.

“The bigger the mess!” Darcy yelled happily.

And before she had a moment to think about what that might mean, Bucky was stepping up beside them as Tony picked his spot, now standing at the edge of the island, between her knees as her legs hung over the counter slightly, leaning over her middle. He gently rucked up her shirt a bit more so that they didn’t get it dirty and she chuckled nervously, shifting again.

He stilled her with a hand to her hip and she immediately settled, looking up at him. He smiled at her and then bent low over her side to the right. “Mind if I?” He asked teasingly and her cheeks heated wonderfully.

She shook her head and squeaked, “Go ahead.”

He smiled, gaze straying towards the tender skin of her side before he licked a wet stripe against her; _tasting her_. She gasped softly, blush only intensifying and then Tony was dusting the spot with a bit of salt and she was nearly jumping out of her skin at the sensation. He huffed a soft laugh and pulled away just enough to pass a lime off to her.

“You’d better hold this. I have a feeling you’re going to squirm off the counter if I don’t hold onto you,” He joked and she laughed loudly, unable to stop herself, her skin tingling where he’d licked her and goosebumps raising along her skin.

_God, Tony Stark just_ ** _licked_** _you_. She mentally sighed and then inhaled sharply when she felt him pressing in between her legs again. “Ready?” He asked quietly, now holding the shot that Bucky had been holding, Steve having apparently gotten off scott-free for the moment and was intently focused on the two of them; along with everyone else.

“Ready,” She agreed, still blushing prettily and Tony chuckled lightly before he was leaning in and just breathing over the sensitive skin of her belly, loving the goosebumps raising up along her.

She shivered and he resisted the urge to smile. She was going to _squirm_ and he desperately wished this was under different circumstances, because _ohhh_ he really wanted to make her squirm. He swallowed back the thought and then his gaze was flickering from her face back down to her belly and as he blew out a breath against her heated skin, he poured the shot into her navel. Her heated gasp raced into his core as he chased the liquid as it touched her creamy skin and he almost moaned at the perfectness of it.

She tried to twist and he held her hips steady, empty shot glass pressing into her side and unable to stop smiling as he lapped at her supple belly; enjoying the way she trembled and squirmed, stifling her light laughter as she tried not to give in to the ticklish sensations. He could taste the tequila, of course he could, but he could also taste _her_ and she tasted like _nothing_ he could have ever imagined.

He swallowed the tequila, smirking when he thought he’d gotten it all and when he looked up at her, she was panting and blushing furiously and oh dear, that blush was _glorious_ ; splotches of colour spreading down her chest, settling at her collarbones but the light pinkness to her skin spread right down to where he’d been lapping at her belly button. But then she was pushing something into his line of sight and he realized belatedly that it was the lime.

He took it, biting it right from her fingers and she laughed delightfully, shaking her head as she covered her face with her hands. The group was laughing and smiling at her and doing their own body shots now, some of them already switching and expressing their embarrassment as Bruce ended up on his back with Darcy hovering over him and then Steve was _finally_ coerced into letting Bucky do a ‘ _titty shot_ ’ which got _wildly_ out of control, _very,_ ** _very_** _fast._

But Tony wasn’t paying attention in the least, and frankly, nearly was Julie; they both far too wrapped up in one another as he helped her sit up and hop down off the counter; her legs a little more unsteady than she was letting on. She smiled at him shyly and he grinned. “I feel like this somehow affects our employee boss relationship,” He said wryly and she laughed, shaking her head.

“Yeah, if this doesn’t, then I don’ know what will,” She admitted, blushing as he helped her down.

He smiled at her, about ready to call it quits, when she motioned towards the counter. “Your turn, Mr. Stark,” She teased, winking at him.

He spluttered. “ _Seriously?_ ”

She laughed, nodding and gesturing again and he grinned, shaking his head and hopping up on the counter. “M’afraid I can’t exactly do the cleavage shot either,” He admitted.

Her laughter faltered and she smiled at him warmly, her gaze soft, _adoring_ and Tony nearly choked…and then; “Guess you’d better take your shirt off anyway if I’m going to get at that six-pack I know you’re sporting.”

Darcy whistled and Tony couldn’t bring himself to care. She just told him to lose his shirt and _fuck_ , was he gonna’. He slipped his blazer from his shoulders, tossing it to the side haphazardly, but she’d barely had a moment to mourn the loss of the way it was tapered to fit just him before he was pulling his shirt-tails from his slacks and unbuttoning his fancy blue-grey dress shirt from the bottom up. She tried not to stare, but she was sort of failing; gaze flickering down his frame now and again as she poured a shot of tequila and readied the salt and lime.

When he’d unbuttoned his shirt enough, shoving the bottom out of the way to give her enough room and a _spectacular_ view of his abs and what was indeed a perfect six-pack, he reclined back on his elbows, really wanting to see her and belatedly realized that this would be an _amazing_ position for her to get her lips around his-

He mentally shook himself. If he wasn’t careful, this situation was going to get _way_ more awkward that it already was and in a very embarrassing way. He chuckled as she shoved more of his shirt aside and she smirked up at him, handing over the lime. “You hold onto this,” She ordered and he took it without question, watching as she stepped in closer and leaned over him.

She did the same thing he had, glancing down at the exposed jut of his hipbone instead of his side, however, and murmuring, “May I?”

“Go right ahead,” He mirrored, wondering when his voice had gone all breathy; he swallowed hard.

She smiled up at him beneath lowered lashes and then she was turning her attention to the jut of his hipbone and then her warm breath was fanning across his heated skin. He swallowed again and then stopped breathing as she licked at his sensitive skin maybe a little longer than strictly necessary. He didn’t care. She could do that _forever_ and he would _not_ ** _care._**

She pulled back only a little and then she was sprinkling salt on the wet patch and he tried to remember to breathe when she looked up at him again. “Ready?” She mirrored.

“ _So_ ready,” He said before he could stop himself and the wicked smile he got in return would be one that would follow him for months to come, fuelling his darkest fantasies and then some.

And then she licked the salt from his skin and he tried not to jump at the heat that lanced through him at such a simple touch. And then the coolness of the tequila nearly startled him up from the counter, Steve’s hand having stilled him just in time by a light touch to his shoulder as he felt Julie’s lips press to his abs where she’d poured the golden liquid.

She licked and practically kissed at his skin, the softness of her plush lips pressing into the lines of his abs as they tensed and relaxed beneath her and he couldn’t stop the heated gasp from escaping him as she licked into the divot of his belly-button and across his treasure trail to get the rest. She laughed nervously as she pulled back after a moment and Tony barely had time to remember to give her the lime.

She took it from his fingers, just like he had and he grinned at her salaciously as her face scrunched up adorably as she bit into the lime, her lips wet and glistening with the tequila and lime juices. He chuckled, shaking his head as he sat up properly, Steve’s hand slipping from his shoulder as the others laughed in amusement. Julie and Tony realized belatedly that they’d pretty well missed everyone else having their turns, but neither could bring themselves to much care.

Jane came back with a wet cloth and passed it around for everyone to clean themselves up and while they were all laughing about it, Tony watched Julie lifting her tank-top up a little higher and caught a glimpse of something that just about had him on the floor.

“You have a _tattoo!?_ ” He asked incredulously and Julie’s happy smile turned panicky as she looked to him and then quickly readjusted her tank-top to hide it.

“N- _No-_ “ She said much too quickly, forcing a few of their friends to look at her with raised brows. “I don’t have a tattoo.”

Tony floundered. He could have sworn he’d seen some ink on her, just below her bra line and he quickly looked her over, noting the tenseness in her shoulders, the way she was chewing her bottom lip and glancing _anywhere_ but at him. “You _totally_ have a tattoo,” He pressed and she looked to him pleadingly, obviously wishing he’d just drop it.

“I-“ She started, but then Darcy was bounding over to her and trying to get a look-see, very nearly shoving her tank top up and Julie pretty well fought her tooth and nail as she tried to keep her chest covered.

“Let me see!” Darcy said happily, trying to tickle her as she twisted and squirmed in her grasp, Julie laughing despite her honest attempts at getting away.

“I-I’ll show you, just-not where everyone else can see!” Julie agreed, finally turning at an angle where Tony couldn’t see her as Darcy _finally_ managed to get her shirt rucked up enough.

And it was comical, Darcy peeking at the ink from below and then pulling the top of her tank top away from her skin as she peered _down_ her shirt to get the full image. “Huh…” Darcy said quietly and then dragged her bodily over to Wanda, Jane and Natasha.

Julie was beat red by this point, head tipped back and face pointed towards the ceiling as she just let them all _look_ at her tattoo. She sighed dramatically. “Are you done yet?”

“ _No-_ “ Darcy said hastily, casting a grin over the blonde’s shoulder to Tony who was watching the little group forming around Julie’s front to better see her tattoo.

And Julie was so resigned to this, she heaved a bone weary sigh and when everyone-except for Tony-had gotten a proper look, she readjusted her shirt and crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring pointedly at them all as they tried to stifle their smiles, fond looks and even a shit-eating grin, or two. She wasn’t going to name any names… _Bucky and Clint_. “Not a word,” She threatened them all.

“Don’t I get to see?” Tony asked hopefully and she turned around to blink at him.

“ _Definitely not_ ,” Julie announced with an air of finality that nearly shut Tony right down.

_Nearly_.

“What do you mean, _definitely not_? Why can’t I see and they can?!” He spluttered, sounding for all the world like a spoiled three year old who’d just been denied a snack at snack-time.

Julie huffed avoiding his gaze. “It’s Sun phases, that’s all. Nothing exciting,” She tried to deny, averting her gaze to the floor and then positively _glowering_ at Bucky when he snickered under his breath.

Tony narrowed his eyes as he observed her. “You’re a bad liar. If it’s nothing exciting, how come they can see and _I_ can’t?”

Julie huffed, tapping her foot impatiently and crossing her arms more firmly over her chest. “ _Because._ ”

Tony’s eyebrow ticked up. This was gonna’ be good if she couldn’t even formulate some kind of reasonable defence. “Alright then, tell you what. I’ll make a deal with you, I won’t bug you at every turn about it, if you agree to stop calling me Mr. Stark and instead call me _Tony._ ”

Julie’s jaw ticked and she blew out a strained breath through her nose before muttering, “You can see it really quick and that’s it. _Not a word_ about it either.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up quickly and he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and then waiting patiently for her to get with the program. She rolled her eyes, jaw set and then she tugged up her shirt, exposing her light pink bra and the bit of ink that peeked out above and below the middle of her bra and Tony had a less than a second or two to appreciate the fact that she was so fucking pretty, all slender and petite and in the absolute _best way_.

Apparently the tattoo was between her breasts and _yep, that looks like Sun phases_ , Tony thought though in an abstract mosaic almost style, but then his gaze drifted back to the one right in the middle, the one that looked partially obstructed by the line of her bra and his head tipped curiously to the side. It looked different, like the middle had a symbol and he couldn’t quite make it out and just as he opened his mouth to say so and maybe lean in closer to get a better look, she dropped her shirt and was striding towards the bar.

“I need another shot,” She announced and no one was about to object because they were _all_ on board with that plan.

But then Darcy was humming. “Do you have any _more_ tattoos?” She asked curiously as they approached the bar and Julie was unable to keep the nervous look off her face.

Darcy’s face split into a wide grin and before any of them could act, Julie was bouncing away from the woman and keeping herself as far away as humanly possible from her. “Just let me look!” Darcy had exclaimed and the others had grinned wryly while Jane did her best to coerce her friend into leaving the poor girl alone.

It worked for a while and when they’d finally all gotten back to the bar to do more shots, Julie had stupidly turned her back for all of a second before Darcy was wrenching her shirt up nearly over her head, practically shoving her forward in a bend as she tried to get a look-see.

“ _For the love of!_ ” Julie guffawed, nearly knocked over by Darcy before Steve managed to save her by lifting her bodily up and hugging her to his front.

She laughed, scrabbling for purchase against his shoulders as she pinched his sides with her knees in an attempt to hold on tight as the super-soldier carted her off to the living room towards their makeshift dance floor proclaiming, “Leave the pretty thing alone! I think she’s already been traumatized enough for one night.”

Julie had spluttered a laugh, shaking her head as she clung to the soldier and Steve chuckled, pressing his cheek to hers as he held her close. “My _hero!_ ” She cooed and Steve just laughed as he spun in a circle on the dance floor, the music having kicked up to something a little less bump and grind for the time being.

It didn’t last, because let it be known that Steve Rogers is and forever will be, a little shit. As he spun her, he let one of his hands wander up the small of her back, his thumb catching in the hem of her tank-top and tugging it up slow and easy, she nearly oblivious for a whole five-seconds before Steve was asking over her shoulder, “ _Well?_ What is it?”

“ _Steve!_ ” She shouted, smacking his shoulders and chest in shock, squirming in an attempt to get him to let her down when she realized what was happening.

But he was laughing, arching away from her swats as he continued to hold up her shirt so that Darcy-who had totally crept up behind her-could get a better look, along with literally _everyone_ else. “ _Aww!_ ” Darcy cooed. “It’s _Moon_ phases, that’s so adorable.”

Julie rolled her eyes, arms now crossed in front of her and staring at Steve with a very unimpressed look. “I’m _very_ disappointed in you, Steven,” She stated disapprovingly and his grin morphed into that of a cheeky smile.

“I’m sorry?” He offered and she glowered at him.

“You’re not in the _least_ bit sorry. You’re such a little shit,” She muttered, but there was far too much fondness bleeding into her tone for him to take her seriously.

He chuckled and nuzzled her nose with his affectionately, making little cooing noises before murmuring, “You’re so cute when you’re all angry, like a little kitten-“ Which basically made her squirm and try and get away even more so, swatting at him harder.

“ _I am not!_ ” She shouted indignantly as he finally managed to set her squirming self down.

He laughed, as did some of the others, grinning fondly at her. “You are _totally_ like an angry little spat of a kitten,” Bucky announced and she rounded on him, waggling a threatening finger at him.

“ _Don’t even-_ “ She started to warn, only to have Tony pipe up from a few feet away, another drink cradled in his hand as he observed the group, a grin of his own plastered across her face.

“ _That’s it_ -that’s the perfect nickname I’ve been looking for for you-“ He announced and Julie’s eyes widened as she heard him.

She watched as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started tapping and when she made a grab for it to see what he was doing, he had to choose between either spilling his drink of letting her have the phone. He let her have the phone, rolling his eyes as she squinted down at the screen.

Her eyebrows shot up and he grinned cheekily as he snatched it back from her grasp while she was distracted. “ _Prima Ballerina!?_ ” She blurted and Tony grinned, hitting _edit_ on his contact name for her.

He typed in a new name and then turned his screen to let her see again and her surprised look quickly changed into annoyance and disbelief. “ _Kitten-_ ” She said flatly, giving him a very unimpressed look.

Tony beamed at her proudly. “ _Yes?_ ”

She practically _growled_ at him at that and he grinned all the more before she cast a very disgruntled look at Steve and Bucky in turn. “You’re to blame for this, I hope you know that and I hope you’re bloody happy,” She muttered, still glowering at them.

Steve beamed at her while Bucky flashed her a cheesy-smile. “ _So happy_ , actually-“ Bucky managed to get out, before she was lunging for him in an attempt to swat at him.

“I’m going to smack you!” She exclaimed and he and the rest of the group howled with laughter as she attempted to smack him- _lightly-_ but he just grasped her hands, stilling them before pulling her along and attempting to coerce her into dancing with him.

It worked, because James Buchanan Barnes was one smooth motherfucker and she found herself smiling dopily up at him as he held her close, a hand on her hip with his other curled around her own as he led her in a slow dance; Jarvis taking it upon himself to put on some _Sinatra_ to hopefully diffuse the situation.

It worked, for a short while. The night was winding down, though they were all still drinking, laughing and chatting happily, no one really wanted to call it a night, everyone enjoying each other’s company too much. Tony was perched at the edge of the bar, watching Julie from across the room as she leaned against the back of one of the sofas and chatted quietly with Natasha at her side.

They were watching Jane and Thor dancing together while Darcy, Sam, Bruce and Wanda danced in a little cluster together nearby and Tony watched them, watching their friends dancing for a while. Enjoying how relaxed Julie seemed to be as she casually talked to Nat. She looked a little sleepy and definitely past tipsy and he figured all in all, it’d turned out to be a good night. She looked happy and easy and _soft_ and he really wished he could stop thinking about the fact that she hadn’t put her sweater back on and had opted for walking around in her jeans and that thin navy blue tank-top with the high back and scoop-neck front.

It was still modest in the neckline area, something he thought was adorable. Always modest, never anything but. She came to movie nights most times with a hoodie and leggings. Always looking comfy, feeling comfortable. She looked comfortable now, but not just in the clothes she wore, in the way she held herself too. She was comfortable around the whole group.

With a bunch of assassins and super-humans and people Tony thought of as true hero’s and all and _Christ,_ even a _God_ for crying out loud. But she didn’t always see them as such. These were her friends. People she trusted and people who trusted her and he couldn’t help smiling warmly at the thought, only to find a moment or so later that he’d been caught by Julie staring right at her.

He blinked himself back into the present and flashed her a proper smile, one which she returned shyly before straightening up from her spot, having been leaning on the back of the sofa. She turned and murmured something to Nat and she drew her into a hug, smiling as Julie eagerly returned it.

And then Julie was being released and she was making her way through the little group on the dance floor and patting them each on their shoulders and drawing them into hugs as well. She was clearly saying good night to everyone and as she came up to the bar where Steve, Bucky, Clint and Tony were chatting, she cleared her throat, looking around at her friends.

“Hey, uh, I think I’m going to head to bed. I’m actually like super exhausted,” She laughed, smiling shyly as she looked up at them.

“No worries, Jules. We hope you had a good birthday,” Clint murmured, smiling at her happily.

She nodded, pushing some of her loose strands of hair back behind her ear. “Oh, I did. This has been so much fun. I’ve never really celebrated my birthday like this before, so thank you guys so much for everything,” She said, smiling genuinely at them.

Steve and Bucky smiled at her fondly before she was drawing them into hugs and Clint came around to give her a hug too. And when she pulled back, her slightly glassy gaze straying towards Tony, he froze. She smiled at him, her gaze flitting back to where the other three were trying to studiously avoid being caught watching the pair as she stepped up closer to the genius.

“Thank you again, Mr. Stark,” She murmured, looking up at him through partially lowered lashes and Tony had to remember to breathe and not think about the way her lips looked in this exact moment; a little plump and rosy and definitely all kinds of pouty.

He swallowed hard and nodded. “Don’t mention it. I’m glad you had a good time and, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow- _probably_ -and I’ll make sure everything’s ready for us to leave on Saturday morning.”

She smiled warmly at him, her eyes practically sparkling. “I can’t wait.”

He blew out a breath, nodding and trying to keep his heart from exploding out of his chest. “Night then.”

She smiled at him, still looking a bit shy and timid and her gaze strayed towards his lips for a split-second before she was turning and walking away, waving at the group over her shoulder and calling out her good nights.

Tony stood there, staring after her retreating form and then Clint _rudely_ bumped him. “Aren’t you going to kiss her or something? At least like, _I dunno_ , proclaim your undying love for-“

He didn’t get to finish what he was going to say because Tony happened to glance over at him and caught sight of the clock on the wall behind the bar. His eyes widened and without much thought, he rushed after her, catching her in the hallway just shy of the elevator that would take her up to her room.

“ _Hey-_ “ He breathed, sounding winded and rushed and she turned around in obvious surprise to find him there.

“Uh, hey…” She said uncertainly.

“Happy Birthday,” He blurted before he could stop himself and as he watched her lips part slightly, expression shifting into surprise, he raised his cellphone, showing her the time; it was 12:07am.

She laughed, feeling a little off kilter and he smiled at her warmly. “J-just wanted to be the first one to wish you happy birthday on your actual birthday.”

She laughed again, shaking her head as she nodded, her cheeks heating adorably. “Thank you, Mr. Stark,” She murmured, ducking her head shyly as she glanced towards the elevator and Tony nodded, clearing his throat before he was glancing back in the direction he came.

“I-“ She started, at the same time he went to speak.

They laughed at one another and then decisively nodded. “See you later,” She murmured softly and Tony nodded, murmuring his agreement before she was slipping into the elevator and casting one more lingering look towards him before the doors shut.

He swallowed, standing there for a long moment before he turned and walked back towards the living room. And upon rounding the corner, he came face to face with everyone staring at him expectantly. “What?” He asked curiously.

“Did you kiss her!?” Darcy exclaimed and Tony blinked, his cheeks practically catching fire.

“No…I didn’t kiss her…I wanted to be the first one to wish her a happy birthday on her actual birthday is all…” He whispered, feeling like the world’s smallest person in that moment.

The group let out a chorus of sighs and Tony frowned. Some friends he had. He couldn’t stop his pout as he looked around at them. They actually looked like they had expected for him to kiss her and he’d just let them down. They didn’t look upset, just disappointed and that was somehow _worse_. He rubbed his eyes, swallowing thickly as he shook his head and started towards his room, only to have Steve catch his arm and for Bucky and Natasha to corner him.

He frowned, trying to avoid their gazes. He didn’t like being a disappointment, he didn’t need them to go and tell him he’d disappointed them, he could practically feel it radiating off of them. “Tony,” Natasha murmured and he forced himself to meet her gaze.

“ _It’s fine-_ “ He tried to interject, though what he was saying was fine though, even he didn’t know.

She sighed and glanced towards Bucky who was looking at him with eyes full of concern. “It’ll happen, Tony. You just gotta’ take that step-“

“There’s no step to take-“ Tony tried to snap, but he was tired and feeling a touch hurt and then Steve’s arm was slipping around his middle and drawing him into a crushing hug.

“ _Tony-_ “ Steve sighed. “You are so oblivious it physically _hurts_ ,” He announced and Tony huffed, his face smushed against Captain America’s perfect pecs; at least he had put his shirt back on.

Steve shook his head and looked to his friends for some kind of help, but even they didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. Tony sighed, having given up any attempt at getting out of Steve’s hug. Not that he really wanted to. The blonde gave awesome hugs and he did feel better being all smushed and comforted. He mumbled something and Steve tipped his head down in an attempt to hear him better.

“Hmm?” He asked and Tony puffed against his shirt before pulling his head up a bit.

“I’m going to Malibu with her,” He announced.

Steve smiled down at him and nodded. “You are and you’re not going to panic, okay?” He insisted.

Tony nodded, not really thinking about it. “And I’m not going to panic-well, technically I’m going to _see_ _Panic!_ ” He admitted and the three chuckled lightly.

“Well, yes,” Steve admitted, smiling softly as he released his friend.

Tony nodded, a yawn suddenly overtaking him and he scrubbed a hand down his face. “I need sleep, I’m tired and just… _I need sleep-_ “ He announced and the three were not about to say anything other than _yes, go_ because Tony admitting that he needed sleep was a truly rare occurrence.

“Good night, Tony,” Natasha called after him softly, only getting the genius’ waving hand in response as he disappeared down the hallway to his rooms.

Tony had barely made it to the safety of his suite before he was striding towards his bedroom, ditching his shirt, shoes, belt…everything really. He tipped into bed face-first and groaned _loudly_ into the pillows as he just lay there motionless for a time.

His mind kept circling back to the way Julie had looked that night, the sound of her happy laughter washing over him like a warm blanket and settling around him, making him drift. He sighed, turning his head to the side and pressing his cheek into the pillows. He inhaled slowly, thinking about the glint in her eyes as she stood between his legs, face so close to his stomach as her breath fanned across his abs.

It had taken all of his willpower not to reach out to her and card his fingers through her hair. _Christ,_ but he wanted to stretch those pretty pink lips of hers _wide_ -

He groaned, shifting uncomfortably as his cock stirred in his briefs. He blew out a breath and before he could really think about it, he was shifting up onto his knees slightly, face still pressed against the bed as he got a hand down between his legs. “ _Fuck-_ “ He gasped, breathing out shakily as his hand wrapped around himself, still trapped in his briefs.

He shuddered, hips rocking forward insistently as he stroked himself. He rolled his head against the pillows, nearly whining as he slid his thumb over the head of his cock, gathering the pre-come and smearing it against his sensitive frenulum, gasping and moaning at the sudden intensity of it.

And then he was biting back Julie’s name as he thought about the way her sweet tongue had lapped at his skin, _tasting_ him, chasing the tequila and he had a briefly hysterical moment when he pictured her licking up his come from his abs instead of the alcohol.

He grunted at the force of the wave of arousal that shot through him at that and then he was panting, shifting onto his knees and bracing himself properly as he started really working himself over. He thought about her cheeky smile, her flushed cheeks, the rosy tint to her lips as they glistened with the alcohol and he shuddered and came all over himself, the last thought of her eyes closing as he painted those pretty lips and cheeks with his come obviously too much for him to bear.

“Holy _fuck_ ,” He muttered, heaving in a few desperately needed lungfuls of air before he rolled onto his side, still panting as he gazed up at the ceiling of his darkened bedroom, hand still shoved down the front of his briefs.

He swallowed hard, trying to come down as his body tingled and then relaxed all over, his muscles going completely lax. He licked his lips, shimmying tiredly out of his ruined underwear a few minutes later before he wiped himself off haphazardly with them and tossed them in the general direction of the hamper.

He lay there for a while, just breathing deeply, sleep tugging at the remnants of his wakeful state. He turned onto his side, dragging a sheet over him and blinked into the darkness of his bedroom; only the soft light of the Arc Reactor to keep him company. He blew out a breath and closed his eyes, trying not to think about anything else that’d gone on that night, trying not to think about the present he got her or the fact that he’d be going to Malibu with her and maybe the beach. 

_No_ , those were thoughts for _Tomorrow Tony_ to worry about. He wasn’t going to panic, _totally_ wasn’t going to panic. Steve had told him not to panic and he wasn’t going to. Totally wasn’t going to, he kept reminding himself, blowing out a slow breath and willing his brain to just switch off for an hour two. _Then_ he could panic.

_Not panic_. He told himself once again, _firmly_ and then he was drifting off to sleep.


	13. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is taking me so long to write! I have the whole story done in my head but I haven't been able to write it because first I was on vacation and then I became ill and let me tell you, staring at a computer screen when you're dealing with vertigo is like...fucking impossible, just an fyi. >.< So I sincerely apologize and hope you will all bear with me. <3 I love these dorks and I can't wait for you to see what they go through together. <333

“I have a very important question-“ Tony rushed out, trying and failing to keep up with Steve’s super-soldier pace.

Said super-soldier was walking with his arms loaded with bags that belonged to Tony and Julie and he gave the genius a side-long look. “What is this _very important question?_ ” He sighed, tipping his head up and praying for half a second to God to give him strength.

“When am I allowed to panic? Because I think I’ve been very good at the whole not panicking thing, and I think I deserve a bit of a reward and all, you know, for not panicking,” Tony went on, fiddling with his phone in his pocket as he shot nervous glances around the airstrip.

Steve had offered to drive him to catch the plane, Julie already having booked it past them because she’d been stupidly impressed by the fact that they were going to fly on one of Tony’s private jets and wanted to be the first one on the damn thing. Tony may have been secretly or not so secretly pleased by this.

Steve sighed deeply, shaking his head. “No panicking, Tony. You’re going to be fine. You’re going to have a great time with Julie and you’re going to have fun at the concert and then tomorrow you’re going to have fun at the beach,” He insisted. “And you know, she was so excited when she mentioned you’d planned on taking her to your house in Malibu instead of one of the public beaches. Think she was really looking forward to spending some quality time with you.”

“No she isn’t, totally isn’t. You’re being ridiculous, Steven. She’s not looking forward to that _at all_ -“ Tony interrupted, sounding _very_ sure of himself.

Steve rolled his eyes skyward and shook his head as they started up the steps into the jet. “So, really, I’m not allowed to panic at all?” Tony asked, pouting adorably.

Steve chuckled softly, shaking his head. “How about you panic for three-seconds about the fact that you’re going to have to have a discussion with her about the stripper pole and be done with it?” He suggested, flashing him a cheeky smile as they boarded the plane together.

Tony huffed out a breath and opened his mouth to dish out a snarky comment, no doubt, but ended up closing it and trying not to bash his head against something when they stepped onto the plane and found Julie standing in the middle of the lounge, arms crossed in front of her chest, hip cocked and gaze pointed towards the aforementioned stripper pole.

Steve tried to keep his smirk at bay and failed miserably when Julie tipped her head towards them and jerked a thumb in the pole’s direction. “What kind of flight were you hoping to have here, Mr. Stark?” She asked, the corner of her mouth tipped up in a teasing smirk.

And Tony laughed despite himself, shrugging as he strode towards her and pretended to give the pole a quick one-over before giving her a very blatant one. “Oh, you know-thought maybe you could entertain me a bit before I could introduce you to the mile-high club.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he’d done. Flirting on auto-pilot, because you know, not panicking and everything. But Julie burst out laughing. “ _Mr. Stark!_ ” She spluttered, grinning like a cheshire cat as she shook her head at him.

“Sorry _-shit_ , _sorry_. I crossed a line there- _defintiely_ -flirting just comes naturally-“ Tony rushed out, laughing a bit himself as he watched the blush on her cheeks only darken further.

Steve was grinning ear to ear, unable to stifle it as he busied himself with putting their bags down in some of the empty seats and Tony glanced to him, smiling nervously and looking a whole other kind of uncomfortable. “That wasn’t even flirting, Stark. That was such a blatant come-on. _Shit-_ “ She laughed, drawing his attention and he smiled sheepishly at her.

“Not a come-on, I promise…just, got a little in my head is all,” He tried to defend.

She chuckled, smiling as she shook her head and glanced over to Steve who was watching them both with a ridiculously huge smile on his face. “Thanks for bringing up our bags,” She said to him.

Steve shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, but yeah, you guys enjoy yourselves and stay safe.”

Tony nodded, turning and making a gesture back towards the way they’d come. “Thanks for driving us,” He agreed and Steve just smiled and shook his head.

“It was no trouble,” He agreed and then waved to Julie as they started walking back towards the stairs.

“Bye Steve!” She called out after him and Tony hurriedly ushered him to the doors.

“Seriously, Steve. When can I panic?” Tony urged, grasping the blonde’s elbow gently.

Steve smiled at his friend, making sure to turn and study his face for a long moment. “No panicking, Tony. Now go and sit down with her and relax. You’ve got a few hours before you get there and I know you two will find lots to talk about.”

Tony inhaled deeply and then blew it out, slowly nodding at his friend. “O-okay. It’ll be fine, totally fine,” He breathed, watching Steve closely. “It’s going to be fine, _right?_ ”

Steve smiled, gently patting his friend’s hand in reassurance as he detached said hand from his elbow. “Yes, Tony. It’s going to be fine, _relax_. You know you can text or call us if you need anything.”

Tony pushed out another breath and nodded. “Y-yeah, I gotcha’,” He agreed, watching as Steve started heading down the steps.

“I’ll see you Monday morning!” Steve called over his shoulder and Tony nodded, waving after him.

Tony stood there blankly for a moment before one of the stewardess’ came by and urged him to go and take his seat. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and thanked her before he did so and about twenty minutes later, they were already in the air.

Julie was sitting cross-legged in her seat across from the genius, smiling nervously as she fiddled with the hem of one of her new t-shirts. The Spider-Man one, to be exact, and Tony found it was super cute how she kept tipping herself to the side to peak out the window. He watched her for a few minutes, the nervous lip chewing and fidgeting making him wonder if she’d ever been on a plane before. He hadn’t thought to ask.

“Have you ever flown before?” He asked, motioning for one of the stewardess’ that had been standing by the cabin kitchen to come by.

“ _Nope-_ “ Julie laughed. “This is definitely a first.”

Tony smiled, shaking his head gently, but then the stewardess was asking him what he’d like to drink. “Whisky please,” He murmured, glancing to Julie as the young woman was then addressed by the stewardess.

“Oh…um, maybe just a ginger-ale?” She said uncertainly.

Tony laughed. “You can have something a little more alcoholic if you like. It might help settle your nerves,” He suggested.

Julie laughed nervously and nodded, running a hand through her hair. “Yeah, okay, that sounds like a good idea,” She chuckled. “Um, do you have amaretto?”

“We do,” The stewardess replied.

Julie nodded, biting her lower lip slightly. “I’d like an amaretto and ice then please.”

The stewardess smiled, bowing her head as she acknowledged the order and then stepped away to get their drinks. When Julie’s gaze returned to Tony, however, she found the man looking at her oddly. “Amaretto?” He asked curiously.

Julie smiled, shrugging lightly as she forced herself to stop fiddling with her shirt. “Yeah, I…I always have some on my birthday and I figured today is sort of an extension of my birthday, so I should probably have some,” She chuckled.

Tony smiled lightly. “Tradition?”

Julie shrugged, glancing out the window to her left, but then the stewardess was returning with their drinks. Julie took hers tentatively and held the glass up to her nose, just smelling the liqueur for a moment, her eyes drifting shut. When she finally did take a sip, she then turned to look out the window at the passing clouds beneath them.

“Maybe?” She murmured. “One of the nun’s used to drink it on occasion. I remember catching her on the night of my twelfth birthday and asking her what she was doing. She’d laughed and told me she had a bit of a secret and that if I could promise to keep a secret, I could have a little taste too.”

She rolled her eyes at the thought, shaking her head. “Sister Marilyn, she was a sweet lady. She always gave me a small glass of it on my birthday after that. So yeah, I guess it was sort of our tradition,” She agreed.

Tony blinked in confusion. “A nun?”

“Mhm-“ Julie murmured, taking another sip and still gazing out the window. “She and several others took care of the orphanage I lived at.”

Tony’s brows furrowed in confusion. “You lived at-at an orphanage?” He asked in obvious surprise.

Julie did look to him then, blinking slowly. “I did. I’d been left there when I was very young. My mother wasn’t… _well_ and my father…he wasn’t around really. I came to the orphanage when I was six and was never adopted, not formally, anyway. Sister Marilyn and some of the others looked after me. They helped me attend school, always told me I was destined for something more or something,” She chuckled. “They’re the ones that managed to save up enough for me to be able to take ballet lessons and well…scholarships helped.”

“I didn’t know-“ Tony breathed, more shocked than he was willing to admit.

Julie smiled lightly, shrugging as she looked down at the glass cradled in her hands. “Not many people know that about me, not something I feel comfortable sharing with just anyone,” She admitted quietly.

Tony swallowed hard, glancing down at his own glass for a moment. “I’m glad that you felt comfortable telling me something like that,” He said a moment later, just as quiet.

Julie smiled, shrugging lightly as she took another sip of her drink. They sat in heavy silence for a few minutes and Tony was about three-seconds away from blurting out something ridiculous to try and lighten the mood, but he didn’t have to, because Julie did it for him.

“So-“ She started, looking to him with a raised eyebrow and Tony knew it was going to be a doozy. “Those are some fancy-ass stripper poles.”

Tony burst out laughing and soon they were deep in conversation about said stripper poles and just about anything and everything else they could think of. Not work though, they’d promised not to talk about work at all during their mini vacation.

They chatted throughout the flight and Julie actually dozed off for a little while, curled up in her seat with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders while Tony tried to not so creepily watch her sleep. He was flipping through emails and whatnot on his phone, confirming their reservations for the hotel with Pepper and making sure everything would be in order when they landed in about an hour. Everything was in order, it seemed.

He cast a quick glance in her direction, just admiring her. She looked peaceful, her face relaxed, lips parted and eyelashes fanned out across the tops of her cheeks. Her ashen hair was down in loose waves today and he marvelled at how soft it looked with the sunlight coming in through one of the windows. He wanted to run his fingers through it. He wanted to press a kiss to her temple, her cheek…her lips.

He swallowed hard and his fingers twitched around his phone as it vibrated with a new message. He glanced at it and smirked, opening it up.

Bucky-Bear: How’s the flight going? She was a bit nervous about flying earlier.

Tony took a breath and then tilted the phone slightly and took a quick picture of her asleep. 

Tony: Sound asleep. She had a drink to calm her nerves and after a while she drifted off. She seems to be okay though.

Bucky-Bear: OMG she looks so adorable. Also, it’s a little bit creepy that you’re taking pictures of her while she’s sleeping.

Tony tried not to laugh, instead rolling his eyes as he sent back another text.

Tony: Relax, I’ll delete it.

Bucky-Bear: No you won’t ;)

Tony bit his lower lip, glancing over to the woman and then back down at his phone.

Tony: You’re right. I won’t.

Bucky-Bear: Uh huh.

Their conversation faded out after that and Tony settled a bit more, glancing out the window to his right for a while and watching the sky. Julie stirred a few minutes later with a soft yawn and Tony glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was stretching a bit and he shifted in his seat.

“How was your nap?” He asked lightly.

Julie chuckled, rubbing her eyes a bit. “Oh, was great, actually. These seats are surprisingly comfortable.”

Tony chuckled. “What do you mean, _surprisingly?_ This is _my_ jet.”

She laughed lightly, her cheeks heating. “Yeah, okay. Not surprisingly.”

He chuckled softly and glanced at his watch. “We’ll be landing in about a half hour. I know you mentioned wanting to change.”

She nodded, rising from her seat and dragging her duffel bag down from the overhead compartment. “Yeah, I’ll just go change in the bathroom. I need to do my makeup too.”

“Oh, you can use the bedroom just through there,” He said absently, motioning towards the back of the plane. “There’s a bigger bathroom back there too.”

She blinked, duffel bag safely in hand as she stared at him incredulously. “There’s a _bedroom_ on this plane?”

Tony glanced up at her, eyebrow quirking. “Of course there’s a bedroom.”

Julie just stared at him for a moment, unblinking. “ _Right_ -“ She breathed, shaking her head. “I mean _of course_ there’s a bedroom on Mr. Stark’s private jet,” She muttered to herself before turning and walking away.

Tony blinked in response, shaking his head as she walked away from him, a small smile on her face. He went back to perusing emails on his phone and a few minutes later was startled by Julie coming out of the bedroom in…in a _dress_ and wearing _makeup._

He blinked, then blinked again and only just managed to close his mouth before she settled back into her seat, dropper her duffel bag into the one beside her and looked to him. She stared at him for a second or two before she cocked her head to the side and gave him a wry smile. “Whatever you have to say about it, get it out of your system now,” She sighed.

Tony’s face split into a grin. “You’re so _glittery_ ,” He decided to go with first and then promptly burst into giggles.

Julie rolled her eyes, an only slightly annoyed smile gracing her lips. “Yes, I am.”

Tony spluttered, trying to reign himself in and pretty well failing as he looked her over. She had some seriously fancy eye makeup on, done up in blue and soft purples, nothing too crazy, but the sparkle was all over the tops of her cheeks and around her eyes, curling up over her temples. She looked good, different, but good. He’d never seen her so done up with makeup before and although the rest of her makeup was tame, the sparkles definitely drew him in and now that he was really looking, he noticed that she had a sheen of sparkles along her bared collarbones…

Because her dress was fairly slinky, a navy blue summer dress that looked like it was maybe shorter in the front and longer at the back. It looked light, almost airy and he knew when she walked that it would sway teasingly around her hips. He took a breath, managing to stall his giggles for the time being and gave her a teasing smile. “You’re not going to tell me you’re a vampire, are you?”

She laughed despite herself, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her. “ _Twilight_ , really, Stark?”

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. “What? I’m not the one who’s all sparkly. This is a genuine concern of mine, don’tchya’ know?”

She laughed, shaking her head before making herself more comfortable. “Uh huh.”

Tony chuckled lightly and smiled at her, watching as the light dusting of pink on her cheeks seemed to deepen. “I’m just teasing,” He admitted. “I like the makeup, you’ll definitely make an impression in the Sun and uh, your dress is pretty too.”

Julie glanced at him, her cheeks heating a touch more as she smiled shyly at him. “Thank you, Mr. Stark…” She murmured, gaze flickering over his frame.

He was wearing one of his Armani’s, surprise, surprise and she always did like seeing him in a suit. It was a light grey, shiny, bordering on shimmery even with a white button down shirt beneath it. He’d forgone the tie and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. How he always managed to look effortlessly chic, she didn’t know, but she sure as hell loved it.

“Your suit looks pretty good too, I suppose,” She said after a beat and Tony grinned wolfishly at her as he smoothed his left hand down the front of his shirt.

“Of course it does,” He said smugly and she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“You’re such an ass,” She muttered and Tony grinned, conceding the point.

A little over an hour later they’d landed, been greeted by a driver Pepper had hired and been whisked off to their hotel to drop off their bags. That’s when they figured out there had been a mix-up with their reservation. _Well,_ that’s not entirely true.

“The _what_ suite now?” Tony asked the woman at the front desk who was looking all kinds of flustered in the man’s presence.

“The Honeymoon Suite-“ She started to inform him and he quickly raised a hand, begging her for a moment of silence and thanking every bloody God that existed that Julie was too distracted with the view a good fifteen feet away that he hadn’t heard her.

“Listen-“ Tony started, glancing briefly at her name tag before continuing. “ _Catherine_ , I’m sorry, but I think there has been some sort of mix-up with my booking. We are not newlyweds and I did not ask for _that_ suite.”

Catherine looked back at her monitor. “You are correct, Mr. Stark…however, a Miss Potts booked this suite on your behalf and insisted that it be this one-“

“Holy mother of-“ Tony said, eyes practically bulging out of his sockets, until he saw the woman’s look of clear panic. “ _Sorry-_ “ He quickly apologized.

“Not your fault, but I will be killing Miss Potts the second I see her. But please tell me there is another room available for us, one with _two_ beds, preferably,” He said as calmly as possible, barely resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

Catherine gave him a truly apologetic look and shook her head. “I am terribly sorry, Mr. Stark. But there are several expo’s in town this weekend and I have nothing else available for this evening.”

“Okay,” Tony said calmly, blowing out a slow breath.

He firmed his resolve and flashed her one of his winning smiles. “That’s just fine-“ He managed through only slightly gritted teeth as he nodded. “Just please tell me the couch is comfortable.”

The woman bit her lower lip as she nodded. “Very.”

Tony nodded. “ _Great_ …and do me a favour and have any other _amenities_ Miss Potts had requested scrapped. No rose petals, no champagne, no fancy desserts…unless there’s fruit. She likes fruit, strawberries, _actually._ ”

Catherine nodded quickly. “Of course, Mr. Stark. We’ll make the necessary changes for you right away.”

Tony breathed out a sigh of relief, nodding before glancing towards their bags. “I think we’ll leave those in your hands and head out for a while. We’ll be back in later this evening, so that should give you enough time to clean up the no doubt ridiculous amount of flowers Miss Potts had requested.”

Catherine’s face flamed as she nodded. “Plenty of time,” She agreed and Tony nodded, hand fiddling with his phone in his pocket.

“ _Great_ ,” He agreed cheerfully and nodded before turning away and heading towards Julie, leaving the woman and most likely at least three other people in a bit of a spot with his requests; oh well, it was Pepper’s fault.

He watched Julie as he approached, the young woman leaning over the railing and looking out towards the ocean. It was a beach front hotel, of course, and the view was lovely, but not nearly as lovely as his. Se turned then when she heard footsteps approaching and she flashed him a dazzling smile.

“All sorted? Should we go up?” She asked lightly.

“Everything’s ready for us, but we don’t need to head up. I had our bags taken up for us and we can head out for a bite to eat before the concert, how’s that sound?” He offered.

She beamed at him. “Sounds perfect.”

He smiled at her, relieved that she didn’t want to see the room for the time being, He figured he could come up with some kind of excuse as to why there was only one bed and go from there _after_ she’d had a fun-filled afternoon.

Tony called for their car and while they waited outside of the hotel, he sent of a quick text to Pepper.

Tony: I am going to kill you.

He didn’t get an immediate response, much to his disappointment and when he finally did, he was seated at a fancy restaurant sharing baked brie with Julie and enjoying the way her face positively lit-up every time sh tried something different. He glanced down at his phone, brow furrowing for half a second before he rolled his eyes.

Pepper: No, I believe you meant to say _kiss_ and I believe you also forgot to say _thank you_.

He shook his head, glad that Julie was momentarily distracted by the waiter asking him what kinds of fruity lemonades they had while he responded.

Tony: You will get neither of those things from me. You are in so much shit when I see you, it’s not even funny. The Honeymoon Suite? _Really?_

Pepper: To be fair, that was James’ idea.

Tony: Of course it was.

Pepper: He asked if she liked the flowers.

Tony: She didn’t see any of them because I’m not that stupid. I didn’t take her up to the room.

Pepper: :frowny-face: Why not?

Tony: Again. Because I’m not that stupid.

Pepper: No, you’re right. You’re an idiot.

Tony sighed under his breath, rolling his eyes before glancing down at a new text message.

Rhodey: You’re a really big idiot.

Tony: Probably.

He conceded before muting his phone and tucking it away. Julie hadn’t even noticed he’d been momentarily distracted, having apparently struck up a conversation with their waiter about lemonade and then her visit and what she should really try on the menu and Tony just smiled, watched and then ordered everything he suggested, much to Julie’s surprise.


	14. Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I'm working on it, see? Haha. <3 Sorry for the long wait, here's some more Tony and Julie for you. Also, side note, I don't know anything about the band really, I just love their music, so please don't take anything the wrong way if I get things wrong. And yeah...totally going to be seeing them this summer at the ACC, can't freaking wait! <3
> 
> Enjoy!

“Oh my God, oh my God, _oh my God-_ “ Julie was saying…over and over and _over_ again and Tony for about the billionth time that day, struggled to suppress a smile.

They were currently backstage at the concert and had yet to see the band. Tony knew that they wouldn’t get to meet them beforehand, but he’d touched base with a couple of his contacts to be assured that they knew they were there and still confirmed to meet with them after the show, which they were. And Julie…Julie was freaking out…just a little bit.

“ _God-_ “ Tony chuckled. “You’re like an overexcited puppy, calm down for two-seconds and _breathe!_ ” He laughed and she burst into a fit of giggles.

He was grinning ridiculously at her as they rounded the end of yet another hallway, led along by a very buff looking security guard who seemed to be struggling not to smile at the woman’s obvious excitement as well. “I’m sorry!” She laughed. “I can’t help it! These guys are like…meeting them is like-“ She sighed dreamily and Tony rolled his eyes. “They are my _idols-_ “ She proclaimed.

Tony pouted at that. “Wait a sec, I thought _I_ was your idol?” He stated petulantly.

She grinned over her shoulder at him and he smirked in response as they were led up about four stairs and were suddenly right at the edge of the stage. Julie’s steps faltered when she realized where she was, the steady noise of the crowd feeling all kinds of deafening as they came out into the open and Tony steadied her with a hand against her lower back.

She glanced back at him nervously before he gave her a light shove and up she went. They were still off to one side of the stage, hidden from the crowd and now standing together with a few security guards and what appeared to be coordinators. There was a table of food and drink nearby and the band had yet to appear on stage, but the crowd was already chanting and demanding their presence.

Julie turned back to Tony and smiled so bright and beautiful that he was powerless not to return it with one of his own. She looked so excited, so happy, genuinely _thrilled_ if he was being honest with himself. And there was a teensy-tiny part of him that was feeling all kinds of smug about the fact that _he_ was able to give her that. That _he_ was the one to put that smile on her face, that sparkle in her eyes, that flush to her cheeks…even if technically it was because she was about to meet her _idols_. He’d have to have words with her about that after this.

They were ushered along, a few people smiling and nodding in their direction, welcoming them and offering them refreshment and Tony had to remind himself to breathe on several occasions as Julie chatted animatedly with a couple of the people about how excited she was to be there and how it was all thanks to _Mr. Stark_.

He received several smiles and he did all he could to pretend that they weren’t so knowing. So he did the only thing he could think of, slipping on his stupidly obnoxious rose tinted sunglasses and trying to look as intimidating as possible so that they _didn’t_ try and strike up a conversation with him. He’d probably gush about her if they had and so deemed this the best course of action.

Julie didn’t seem to mind holding most of the conversations though. About fifteen-minutes later the tell-tale sound of a guitar could be heard and Julie spun, hand reaching out and snatching at Tony’s forearm as they turned with the others to face the stage where the band was taking its place. Julie was so excited, she squeezed Tony’s arm so tight, practically squeaking in delight as Brendon and the rest of the band took up their positions.

And Tony…Tony wasn’t breathing.

He watched Julie instead, breath stalling, heart pounding in his ears as Julie gripped his arm so hard. Her grip was tight, _sure_ , but it was also _hot_. Her slender fingers wrapped around his bared forearm and it _burned._ It felt as if his arm was catching fire and then her fingers slipped down to his wrist and he didn’t have a choice, his body needed a breath.

He sucked in a desperate lungful, thankful for the drone of the crowd and the band hollering at them, welcoming them all and thanking them for being there and Julie was completely oblivious to the way Tony was staring at her, watching her watch them with such excitement in her eyes and he was done…just _done_.

And then she was tugging him by his wrist and he went, he would always go, he realized. She stopped before she left the safety of the drape, blocking them from the crowd’s view, but Christ, he thought she was going to pull him right out into the open and wouldn’t that have been a fun article he’d be hit with?

He shook his head at the thought and then she was releasing his wrist and clasping her hands over her mouth as she watched the band settle in and start up a song. One that he recognized all too well as _Nine in the Afternoon._

Julie was practically vibrating in her spot as she watched Brendon, the lead singer, belt out the lyrics and she’d barely had a second to think about it before she was bursting out into song herself, singing at the top of her lungs with them.

Tony loved her voice, he always had. She sounded sweet and soft, not high pitched and squeaky like some. He figured he was sort of biased, but he really didn’t care. He liked hearing her sing, whether it be in the lab, kitchen, gym, anywhere really. He liked singing with her too and he was sure he’d be singing with her soon enough. But instead he settled for watching and listening, even if he couldn’t hear her very well, not with the crowd and band’s singing over everything else.

But he didn’t mind…not one bit…because she’d started _dancing._

And he quickly realized that he wasn’t the only one watching her anymore. The few coordinators they’d been chatting with along with the few security personnel were watching her closely, immediately figuring out that she wasn’t just a pretty face Tony Stark had brought along. She had _talent_ and Tony felt all kinds of smug about it.

Julie hadn’t worn her slippers, of course, but she had worn a pair of ballerina flats. They were cream coloured and now that Tony was looking, he realized that they did actually have a small ribbon with a bow tied at the back of her ankle and she looked as if she could dance in those just as well as her actual slippers; just maybe not a lot of point work.

“Who is she?” One of the coordinators suddenly asked into Tony’s ear.

He turned to look at the woman and gave her a wonderful smile. “Bailey O’Donnel…you should google her.”

The woman’s jaw dropped slightly and Tony watched as she scurried away and started talking into the microphone on her shirt, obviously listening to whomever’s response in the earpiece she also wore. Tony’s attention was already straying towards Julie, however, watching as she kept to the side of the stage and only did a little bit of fancy-footwork, too busy smiling and singing out the lyrics at the top of her lungs to focus on her dancing properly.

The song went on and it bled into the next and every so often, Julie would come back to where Tony had only slightly retreated to better see her. He didn’t want to take away from the experience, but she kept coming back and drawing him in closer to where the band was. After a few songs, the band took a moment to address the crowd and Tony watched, gaze flickering between the lead singer and where Julie was watching him with rapt attention.

“ _Wow-_ “ Brendon breathed. “I am truly _honoured_ to be here today in front of all of you wonderful people, singing my heart out to you only to have you sing yours out to me!”

Julie beamed at him, hands clasped excitedly in front of her chest as she listened to him. The crowd was cheering loudly, begging them to sing some more and Julie wasn’t far from doing the same, but she resisted for now.

“You guys are so awesome and I know you all love to _sing!_ ” He shouted. “But what about dance?” He asked in more of a whisper.

The crowd erupted into gleeful shouts and Brendon and his bandmates all grinned at their audience. “Well, that sounded like a yes. What do you think, Kenneth?” Brendon asked his lead guitarist.

“I think that sounded like a pretty unanimous yes,” He agreed.

Brendon laughed, nodding as he took a few steps around his bandmates, walking closer to the edge of the stage. He motioned towards the crowd, as if asking them to come closer. “I’ve got a bit of a secret-“ He admitted and the audience all cheered, demanding that he tell them.

He chuckled lightly into the microphone, gaze flickering suddenly towards where Julie was standing and Tony’s gaze snapped back to her, watching her staring in shock at the man about the fact that he was even _looking_ at her. “I heard-“ Brendon said. “That we have someone very special with us today and I bet she would absolutely _love_ to dance for all you lovely people.”

Julie’s face was priceless then as Brendon motioned towards her in a gesture of _‘come here_ ’ but Julie remained frozen in place, looking wide-eyed and beautiful and so utterly _bewildered_ that Tony had to fight the look of absolute adoration as he stepped up behind her. “ _Oh,_ I think she’s a little shy guys,” Brendon announced, gaze leaving her for a moment and returning to the crowd. “What do you say we all call her out here and ask her to dance, hmm?” Brendon asked.

The crowd erupted into cheers again and Julie’s face flooded with heat, but she didn’t move from her spot. “I’ve been told that her name is Bailey,” Brendon said lightly, looking back to Julie and winking at her. “And that she’s a _ballerina_ …a very good ballerina.”

Julie’s hand immediately came up to cover her mouth, feeling all kinds of embarrassed and nervous and definitely shy. Brendon laughed when he caught her reaction and he smiled at her warmly. “What do you say we play a song just for her, _yeah?_ Maybe she’ll come out and dance for us then?” He suggested, the rest of the band picking up his train of thought and the music picking up for a song that Tony thought he recognized from one of the very first videos he’s ever seen of her and Julie most _definitely_ recognized it.

The song started out soft and slow and Julie twitched forward, Brendon grinning widely at her before he started singing, no longer facing the crowd, but facing _her_ and she was absolutely stunned. And then Tony was right there, hand pressing against her lower back, urging her forward. Her head whipped to the side to look at him, her eyes wide and expression panicked and he smiled, warm and reassuring.

“You’ve got this, Julie…now _go,_ ” He insisted, giving her the lightest push.

She positively lit up at his words and then she was off. The few nervous steps she took onto the open stage made Tony smile fondly at her and then Brendon was fist-pumping the air and the crowd erupted in excitement, the music kicking up much faster and Julie found herself centre stage with her favourite band, her favourite musicians and dancing her heart out for them.

Tony watched, enamoured as she bounded gracefully up to Brendon and bowed low before twisting away and striking up some seriously fast and fancy footwork around him. The man was grinning as he sang, his gaze following the young woman in absolute awe as she practically pranced around him and Tony was instantly jealous.

 _Oh great_ , he thought to himself. _Just what I needed today, to be jealous of someone she doesn’t even really know and yet idolizes. Psh, so much for a chance._

He mentally shook himself and stood up a bit taller. He wouldn’t let this get to him. She was having fun, enjoying herself, that was all. If she danced for him and not her, it wasn’t like it was her fault. He’d never really _asked_ her to dance for him, not like _Brendon_ had. He huffed, trying to dispel the lingering bit of jealousy from his heart. Julie wasn’t doing anything wrong.

He shifted his stance, unable to help the fond smile as Julie twirled and flashed him a bright smile in the process. He desperately resisted the urge to melt as her gaze met his and instead gave her a smirk. She wasn’t singing anymore while she danced, but as the song toned down again and she stepped in closer to Brendon, he found himself torn while watching him reach out to her and take her hand in his.

The song had tapered into something softer once again and Tony watched as the man twirled her nice and slow, Julie laughing lightly as he pulled her in close towards the end, still singing into the microphone. And then the song ended.

“ _Wow-_ “ Brendon said, grinning from ear to ear as he tugged Julie along towards the edge of the stage; she following along a tad reluctantly, her gaze flickering towards the crowd nervously.

“That was _awesome!_ ” He admitted, laughing as he looked out to the thousands of fans gathered there as they cheered and hollered.

“Wasn’t that awesome!?” He asked the crowd, to which his fans roared their approval.

Julie shied away, laughing as she covered her mouth and tried to tug away from Brendon’s light grip, but he shook his head, clucking his tongue. “So, _Bailey-_ “ He started, waving the microphone at her as he turned his attention back to her.

She stilled, looking up at him nervously. “Yes?”

“I heard you just had a birthday…” He confessed, glancing back towards the crowd, before settling back on her. “Want us to sing you happy birthday?”

She laughed delightfully as she shook her head vigorously, the sound making its way into the microphone and Tony grinned. Someone had done a good job of googling her. Brendon laughed then too. “Oh, I don’t know. Isn’t it like, a thing you do when it’s someone’s birthday?”

Julie looked to him and the crowd pleadingly as she shook her head and her soft voice asking him not to, had him feeling a tad embarrassed for her. Brendon laughed again, shaking his head. “Alright, alright. We won’t sing you happy birthday, for the moment,” He conceded, tugging gently on her hand before he paraded her out in front of him once again.

“On one condition-“ He smirked, and Julie tensed only slightly as she eyed him. “You keep dancing any way you like out on this stage for us and all of these lovely people.”

Julie’s cheeks flushed and she laughed as she nodded in agreement. “ _Awesome-_ “ He breathed and then he was releasing her and giving her very animated finger-guns as he backed away, motioning towards the rest of his bandmates.

“Alright boys! Let’s get this party started!” He shouted into the microphone and Julie beamed at him, gaze flickering towards the other five musicians as the music started up with their next song.

Tony recognized it, had sang it himself on more than one occasion. He was pretty sure it was called _Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time_ and he was pretty sure Julie was going to lose it. She _loved_ this song. And sure enough, she was positively bouncing on her toes as she looked back to the crowd and then made some kind of awkward gesture back to the band as if to say; _can you believe this?_ Because she was just that excited about the whole thing.

And Tony…Tony just _laughed_. She was so un-freaking believe-able, so sweet and so happy and this band who she absolutely adored had just tried to shine the light on her and she wasn’t going to take it, apparently. She was still looking at Brendon and the others with complete awe as she continued to make aborted hand gestures before she was covering her mouth and shaking her head in disbelief.

Brendon couldn’t help the soft chuckle during his singing as he watched her and then made a little twirling gesture with his hand and she dropped the hands from her face and grinned deviously at him. Tony stifled his own laughter then as Julie seemed to spring into action and started literally dancing circles around them all.

It lasted for three more songs, Julie dancing around them, even _with_ them on occasion. Brendon seemed to like stepping into her space whenever she came close enough and she actually ended up dancing _with_ him while he sang, not only twirling her on stage, but drawing her in nice and close and swaying with her sensuously.

Tony shifted, jaw clenching for a brief moment as Brendon’s hand lingered against her hip, the fabric of her dress riding up only slightly before she twisted away, laughing and _blushing_ and Tony found himself breathing a little harder. _He_ wanted to be the one dancing with her. _He_ wanted to be the one touching her, pressing in close, _twirling_ her.

He swallowed hard and forced the feeling down. This was not a time to be jealous. She was having _fun_ and she deserved that. She was a pretty girl, the fact that a good looking guy-much closer in age to her than he was-was showing her attention, getting a _reaction_ out of her, really shouldn’t be such a surprise, nor should it send him into full-on jealous mode.

He shook his head slightly at the thought and pushed out a slow breath. _Relax, you’re being ridiculous._ He insisted and let his gaze follow Julie along as she gracefully dipped and practically _glided_ across the stage, now completely lost in the music and no longer within reach of Brendon- _thank goodness-_ and seemed to be truly enjoying herself.

She was beautiful. So effortlessly gorgeous. Her long legs always distracted him and today was no different. Her high-lo dress, its navy blue colour standing out against her pale skin. He realized belatedly, that whenever she moved her arms above her head, he could catch glimpses of a pale pink lacy bra showing by her sides with the low cut of her dress. He let his gaze travel down her body as she raised her leg, toes pointed and touching to her opposite knee before extending it fully and he wondered if she had matching panties on and had to swallow hard at the thought.

She was slowing a bit, the song shifting into something softer. He didn’t recognize this one, but that didn’t really surprise him, he knew the band had been around for a while and there were no doubt plenty of songs he hadn’t heard.

He didn’t dwell on it, however, as he noticed Julie slowly dancing her way towards him. She was still twirling- _pirouettes_ , his brain kept reminding him-a peaceful expression on her face as she sang along to the song. Something about a death of a bachelor and he found himself smiling as her gaze flickered up and met his, a _wonderful_ smile spreading across her face as their gazes met.

Tony was so, _so_ screwed. _Oh well_ , his brain supplied.

And then she was right in front of him, still smiling bright and beautiful at him as she brushed several strands of hair back behind her ear. She had a light sheen of sweat across her face, in the hollow of her throat…across her collarbones. He swallowed past the lump in her throat.

She was smiling up at him, her blue eyes practically sparkling-along with the rest of her-as she approached him and did one more pirouette before she stopped only two feet away from him, arm outstretched and palm open to him. She was standing just out of reach…just out of the protection of the side curtains that blocked him from the view of the hundreds if not _thousands_ of people in the crowd.

He was sure the band knew he was there, had been told ahead of schedule that he’d requested a VIP meet and greet with a guest and no one else and they’d readily agreed. He was Tony Stark after all. But all those people? He didn’t exactly think they’d been given the memo, let alone the non-disclosure agreement to sign. He blew out a breath, watching as Julie wiggled her fingers, beckoning him to come forward, but he just couldn’t bring himself to move.

He shook his head a little, but her smile only grew, a twinkle in her eye as she tilted her head to the left, watching him. Her lips moved, but he couldn’t hear her voice, but he read the words on her lips all the same; _dance with me._

He wanted to. _Oh_ did he _want to_. He took a step towards her, watching her lips curl up even more and he cast a nervous glance towards the crowd, still keeping out of sight. He knew there were projector screens for the crowd to see, they’d be able to discern who he was…most likely. He knew he’d hear about it, dancing with this lovely woman at a concert and maybe they’d figure out who she was to him- _your intern,_ his brain supplied-and it worried him, of course it did. But the way she was looking at him right this moment, _beckoning_ him to come and dance with her…

He really wasn’t sure he could say no. He took a deep breath. _Fuck it, sorry Pep, but you’re going to be busy with damage control. Serves you right,_ he thought to himself, grinning as he took the last step out onto the stage and clasped his hand in hers.

She positively _beamed_ at him as she closed her hand around his and pulled him out onto the stage with her. He was smiling as she dragged him along and the song changed into something more fast paced, something he was sure he’d heard before, but couldn’t remember the name of…until the line, _crazy equals genius_ , reached his ears and he grinned, shaking his head at her.

She laughed, the sound drowned out by the band and crowd and then she was turning them both as she apparently came to stop where she wanted. They weren’t centre stage by any means, but they were off to the left of the band not too far from the edge. It was a big stage, but it suddenly felt a lot smaller when Tony’s gaze flickered towards the cheering crowd, all singing at the top of their lungs. His gaze quickly snapped back to the woman in front of him, however, the second he felt her grip on his hand slip.

And she was right in front of him. She was dancing again, swaying her hips as she twirled right in front if him and he realized that he’d never felt so out of his depth before. He didn’t know how to _dance._ Not like this. She was still smiling at him though as she reached out to him and took his other hand, raising their joined hands up above their head and he got the picture, grinning as he let her twirl as if _he_ was the one directing her.

He laughed, his cheeks flushing when she grinned at him knowingly and proceeded to dance around him, but pretty well _with_ him and he was so, _so_ gone on her. He found himself singing along to the song, watching as she danced around him, _toyed_ with him. He probably looked smitten and really hoped that the cameras couldn’t pick up _that_ little tidbit of information. Pepper was already going to have enough work on her hands with this if he was recognized. And he was pretty sure he would be.

He moved along with her when the song bled into the next and then he was unexpectedly drawing her in with a hand on her hip and reaching out to grasp her right hand in his, pulling her in close. She looked up at him, not having expected him to do so and was obviously surprised when he started leading her in a dance of his own. He could dance…just not like _that._

She was clearly surprised, if the awed look on her face was anything to go by. He grinned cheekily at her and her jaw snapped shut before she gave him a wry smile of her own as she let him lead her. The song was far too upbeat for the way he was leading her, but they made it work, Julie laughing and making Tony laugh as they moved together. Tony lost his footing on occasion when she tried to do something fancy, but they were clearly enjoying themselves. Eventually he was left to flounder after her as _she_ led him around, the two of them grinning widely at each other and probably looking like fools.

Neither seemed to much care.

Tony’s face hurt, he realized as they broke apart from their dance a few minutes later. He’d been smiling so much, his bloody face hurt. He was baffled. He’d been laughing and smiling all afternoon and it had felt so good, so amazing and he wanted this. He wanted this every day, every damned day.

He swallowed, his smile wavering a little, but Julie didn’t notice; Brendon’s voice having drawn her attention. “Well, boys and girls, it’s getting to be that time and I think we can give you an oldie to say goodbye and maybe, if you’re real good…we’ll give you something new… _brand spanking new!_ ”

Julie seemed delighted by the prospect, Tony having slipped back a step or two, wanting to get out of the lights that were being shone on them, but she stayed where she was. They were outdoors, the venue all outside, but dusk had fallen and the Moon was coming out, the stars to follow soon enough.

Julie’s hands were clasped together in front of her chest as she watched the band and Tony’s gaze strayed back towards her. She looked so happy and he was going to leave her to it, to enjoy the last couple of songs on her own as he slipped backstage, but she had other ideas.

She turned then and reached out to him, grasping his arm and tugging him towards her as she squeezed him. He was momentarily stunned as she pressed against him, beaming up at him as she turned her attention back to the band and all Tony could do was turn his gaze back to them as well. She didn’t release him as they started in on their final songs. He recognized the first one as _Northern Downpour_. One of the many songs he’d heard Julie sing just about everywhere back at the Compound. He liked listening to her sing this song and he stepped in a touch closer, hoping to hear her sing it now.

She didn’t disappoint. Her voice was faint, but he could still hear her and he smiled to himself as he shifted a little closer to her, relishing in the warmth of her body pressing up against his arm, her hand wrapped snugly around his bicep. He barely resisted the urge to flex beneath her fingers as she gave him a light squeeze and instead reached up with his free hand and squeezed hers in return.

She slid her gaze towards him, still smiling, still looking gorgeous and radiant and so, _so_ beautiful. He swallowed hard, hoping his smile looked reassuring and kind and not at all like he was desperately in love with her. They stayed like that, their gazes locked for only a moment before she turned back to the band, the music still floating over them…Tony’s gaze lingering on her for much longer than he figured was wise.

He heard their final song, after the crowd had positively _demanded_ they sing another and let’s face it, Julie was right there with them. Though he heard it, he wasn’t really listening. Too busy thinking, getting lost in his feelings, what it felt like to have Julie pressed against his side, holding onto his arm still so tightly. He wanted this, _really_ wanted this. But he still wasn’t sure he could have it.

He was brought out of his slight daze when the band started wrapping up, thanking their fans for coming and thanking Bailey for her lovely dancing, to which, he’d tried to disentangle himself from her so that she might go to them or something. She merely bowed slightly and waved to first Brendon and the rest of the band and then the crowd, more sheepishly than Tony thought she should be feeling.

The crowd was still loud, still cheering and shouting as the band started heading in their direction, waving to the crowd and practically jumping and bouncing around with their leftover energy. Julie was watching them with wide eyes as they started heading in their direction and then suddenly she was turning to Tony and asking; “How do I look? Is my hair a disaster? It must be a disaster.” She laughed, sounding a tad manic and Tony grinned.

“You look gorgeous, _relax_ ,” He reassured before his brain could catch up with his mouth.

Julie blushed at that, the flush from earlier returning and making Tony want to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything more incriminating. He watched as she ducked her head a little and tried to smooth down her hair as she pulled it to the side, getting it out of the way. She needn’t have bothered, Tony thought she looked gloriously dishevelled from all her dancing and he was pretty sure anyone would have agreed with him on that one.

“Well!” A voice suddenly called from behind her and she spun around, only to find herself face to face with Brendon Urie and the rest of the band as they bumped into one another in their excitement and happiness for a show well played. “What a wonderful surprise!”

Julie looked incredibly nervous all of a sudden, but Tony simply placed a reassuring hand on the small of her back and urged her forward. He didn’t know when he’d suddenly found himself okay with touching her like this. He just wanted to comfort her in any way that he could and apparently light contact was still okay and he didn’t get _too_ worked up over it…for now.

“You were incredible!” Brendon exclaimed and Julie’s jaw dropped open in shock…that…was not what Tony or Julie thought was going to come out of his mouth; though Tony wasn’t exactly as _surprised_ by it as she apparently was.

She blinked, at a complete loss as to what to say until he laughed, smiling at her as he wiped his forearm across his forehead. They were all sweating profusely. Putting on a show was hard work. “I’d shake your hand…or give you a hug, but I’m a bit gross,” He admitted and that managed to get her to laugh.

“It’s… _wow_ , it’s really amazing to meet you,” She blurted and Brendon grinned at her.

“Likewise, though, I’ll admit, didn’t know you existed until a little while ago and myself and the boys would definitely like to get to know more about you,” Brendon admitted, while the man at his right nodded and the other three murmured their agreement.

“Never seen anyone dance like that before,” Kenneth-Tony recalled-admitted, shaking his head.

Julie’s cheeks flushed as she looked between the two men. “T-thanks…but you guys are like… _so amazing-_ “ She gushed and they all grinned, Brendon laughing lightly.

“We’re all good at something, I suppose. Did you enjoy the show?” Brendon asked her, gaze flickering towards Tony then.

“We did,” Tony murmured, smiling genuinely as he nodded.

Brendon grinned, looking back to Julie for confirmation. Julie could only nod vigorously and they all chuckled. “Really, _really_ did,” She agreed.

Brendon chuckled softly before reaching out towards Tony in a gesture of a handshake. “It’s really great to meet you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony nodded easily, accepting his hand in a firm grip. “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Urie.”

Brendon nodded and then he was gesturing towards his bandmates, clearing his throat. “Introductions, those are a thing, right?” He laughed and then went on to introduce Kenneth, their lead guitarist and backup singer, Dan who played the drums, Jesse, the saxophone, Erm, the trombone, and Chris, the trumpet.

By the time they’d finished introducing themselves and exchanged a few more pleasantries, they all looked a little drained, Brendon especially. “Listen, we don’t usually do this,” Brendon explained, idly picking at some of the refreshments that had been laid out.

They’d all migrated over towards the food and drinks and they were obviously famished after their show so they’d been nibbling away. Tony was hovering nearby, watching as Julie sipped at some water and likewise helped herself to some veggies, so he tipped his chin up in acknowledgement when Julie glanced first to him and then back to Brendon.

“But the guys and I are heading back to the hotel shortly and we’d like for you to join us. We’re having a bit of an after party, nothing too crazy or anything, probably no more than a dozen or so people, but we’d like for you and Mr. Stark to join us, if you’d like,” Brendon offered, smiling at her sweetly.

Julie blinked, obviously surprised by the invite, but then she turned to Tony and Tony just stared at her, not really sure what she was looking to him for. “Would you like to go?” She asked quietly.

Tony blinked at her. “I-“ He cleared his throat. “I think it’s getting close to my bedtime-“ He chuckled and watched as Julie’s face fell. “But you could go, of course you could go. I can have a car come get you whenever you like-“ He rushed on, but the more he spoke, the more her expression seemed to fall.

“I’d like to go, but I’d also like it if you came with me,” She said quietly.

And now Tony was really screwed, because she wasn’t just _asking_ him. She was **_asking_ ** him. She was looking up at him through her lashes and looking sweet and uncertain and _nervous_ and she really wanted to go, but she didn’t want to go without him and _what did that mean?_ He wondered. He swallowed and glanced back towards Brendon, flashing him a smile.

“Then that’s a yes. I think we’d enjoy a good party, besides, technically this is all still part of her birthday present,” Tony agreed and Julie’s smile was positively blinding, her cheeks heating adorably.

“Oh, right!” Brendon laughed. “I still need to sing you happy birthday.”

Julie laughed then, shaking her head. “Please don’t,” She tried weakly and both men laughed.

It wasn’t long after that before they’d all made their way to where a limo was waiting for the band and they all took off together to their hotel. Tony was mostly quiet, though Kenneth had started chatting with him about the latest StarkPhone and Tony was instantly curious about what he thought about it. He always did enjoy hearing people’s thoughts on his tech…for the most part.

Brendon had instantly taken up chatting with Julie…not that he’d really stopped, Tony distantly realized. But he pushed those odd nagging feelings to the back of his mind and instead focused on having an actual conversation and thought that Pepper would be proud. _Pepper_ , his mind helpfully supplied and he excused himself for a moment as they arrived at the hotel to send her a message.

Tony - Uh, just an FYI, but I think you may have a slight mess to clean up tomorrow. Just a heads up.

Pepper - Already handled. You two looked like you were having fun. ;)

Tony blinked down at his phone in confusion for all of a second before rolling his eyes. Of course she’d been spying.

Tony - I’m still going to kill you. But thanks. I guess.

Pepper - You’re welcome. <3

Tony was still frowning down at his phone when Julie popped her head out from the elevator, holding it open with her foot. “ _Stark!_ You coming?”

Tony jolted, clearing his throat as he nodded. “ _Coming!_ ” He called back, pocketing his phone before heading after her.


	15. Fifteen

See, the thing was, Tony knew what an after party meant because he’d been to more than a few. He knew what typically transpired therein and he was pretty sure Julie didn’t have a clue. But he didn’t really have the opportunity to maybe try and brace her for the possible eventuality of there being more than the dozen or so people like Brendon had said-most likely through no fault of his own-and that there would probably be drugs, lots of alcohol and very loud music.

As they travelled up in the elevator with the band, Brendon told them they could head up to one of the penthouse suites while they went and freshened up. Julie was still bouncing on her toes, clearly over-excited and trying very hard not to show it and failing pretty spectacularly and by the time they were walking down the hallway together, Tony glancing over his shoulder to make sure it was just the two of them and the band’s manager leading the way, he gently nudged Julie’s elbow with his own.

She looked over at him curiously and he cleared his throat slightly before murmuring only low enough for her to hear. “You uh, I feel like I should maybe warn you…” He started hesitantly.

Julie’s brow furrowed. “About?”

Tony’s gaze flickered over to the manager who was now chatting in the doorway a good ten feet away from them with what looked like a security guard outside the penthouse suite. “After parties can be a bit…” He faltered, not really knowing how to phrase it.

Julie’s eyes narrowed briefly before she was suddenly grinning at him. “Wild?” She offered.

Tony blinked, clearing his throat a bit. “Yeah…just, don’t be too surprised if there are drugs and you know, lots and lots of alcohol.”

Julie raised a brow at him in challenge. “Uh huh…” She said slowly.

“What?” He said defensively. “I just thought you should know.”

She chuckled softly, nodding as she reached out to squeeze his bicep gently and Tony _just_ managed to stop himself from flexing in time. “Thank you for letting me know, but I’m a big girl,” She informed him cheekily.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Uh huh, pretty sure I’ll be saying _I told you so_ sooner rather than later.”

Julie huffed, rolling her eyes before the band’s manager was calling out for them to join him. And yes, Tony would be saying _I told you so_ very, very soon. Not a minute later they were inside of a very spacious penthouse suite with at least thirty or forty people laughing, singing, _dancing_ and they were all definitely drinking.

Julie swallowed hard as Tony ushered her into the throng of people, smiling and nodding as they were introduced by the band’s manager to anyone he thought was listening. Julie looked a little more than overwhelmed by the big group and soon enough someone had given her a glass of wine to sip on and Tony a scotch and they were settling in with a steadily building group of avid listeners.

The conversations varied between her dancing at the concert, how great the show had been, to how amazing it was that _The_ Tony Stark was actually there as well. Julie had grown particularly quiet after a short while, clearly feeling overwhelmed and he tried to detract some of the attention from her to himself. It was easy enough when you were Tony Stark and when Julie visibly relaxed, shooting him a relieved smile, it felt worth it.

A short while later, Brendon and the rest of the band made their appearance and there was a chorus of cheers and clapping while they paraded into the suite all smiles and happy laughter. Julie was beaming as Brendon approached them a few minutes later, opening a bottle of champagne to enjoy and Tony was immediately struck by the way he was surreptitiously watching Julie every time she became absorbed in conversation with Kenneth or Dan or really any other _male_ person in the room.

Tony couldn’t exactly say he didn’t understand. Julie was a beautiful young, talented woman. He got it, didn’t meant he liked it. It did get his hackles up anytime someone paid what he thought was just a little _too_ much attention to Julie. Don’t get him wrong, he thought she definitely deserved the attention…he just didn’t want these strangers to be the ones to give it to her.

But of course, she seemed to remain oblivious to Brendon’s stares or the subtle flirting on Dan and then Jesse’s behalf. Tony would have rolled his eyes if he hadn’t then been interrupted in his thoughts by Brendon approaching him. The brunette slung an arm around his shoulder as he tried to turn them bodily away from where Julie was now demonstrating how to do a proper pirouette _sans_ ballet slippers.

“Just wanted to say-“ Brendon started, drawing him further away from Julie and the cluster of onlookers. “It’s really awesome to have _The_ Tony Stark here. _Big fan,_ ” He admitted and Tony glanced sideways at him, trying to get a read on him.

He appeared genuine and then the man was removing his arm from around his shoulders and pulling out a cellphone from his breast pocket to show him something. It was a StarkPhone, one of the earlier models actually and somehow that managed to surprise him. “Love this phone,” Brendon went on a beat later. “Couldn’t bring myself to upgrade just yet though,” He laughed. “The newer ones are so sleek and I’m terrified I’m going to drop the damn thing and break it. I already drop this one enough.”

Tony chuckled softly, shaking his head. “That one is sort of more durable, I get it.”

Brendon laughed at that, pocketing his phone once again. “Doesn’t feel right putting a case on a flashy phone, so I prefer this thing, even if it is a bit of a beast.”

Tony smirked at him, their gazes suddenly straying over their shoulders towards Julie as her laughter filled the air. She was being twirled by Kenneth and when she nearly lost her balance, the man caught her about the waist to steady her and she flushed, drawing away from him smoothly. Tony wondered how much she’d had to drink in the hour she’d been there. He thought he’d been paying attention, but clearly not to the right things.

He cleared his throat, feeling a little uneasy at being so far away from her, even if he wasn’t even half-way across the damn room, it was still too far in his opinion. When he turned his attention back to Brendon though, the man was looking at him too intensely and Tony forced himself to school his features into nonchalance.

“So, how do you and Bailey know each other?” Brendon asked boldly.

Tony blinked, staring at him and hoping he wasn’t about to come off as an asshole. “She’s an intern at SI.”

Brendon’s eyes widened and he nodded, gaze flickering back towards Julie briefly. “Smart and pretty then, no wonder she’s here with you,” He murmured, gaze sliding back to practically bore into Tony’s.

Tony stared back for a moment before taking a drink of his scotch and nearly spluttered when Brendon continued a moment later. “She seems a bit young…”

The implied _for you_ would have probably sent him into a rage, however, he simply swallowed his drink and fixed the man with a pointed stare. “She is young,” He agreed.

Brendon huffed a little and nodded. “So she works for you?”

“ _With_ me,” Tony corrected.

Brendon nodded, as if it didn’t make a world of difference to him. “So you’re not actually dating or anything, right?” He asked, now all but distracted and apparently really not caring about the fact that Tony looked as if he was ready to bash his head against the nearest available surface.

Tony grit his teeth and managed to get out, “ _No._ ”

Brendon hummed, gaze slipping back towards him and giving him a knowing smile. There was something in his eyes that sent Tony’s gut churning and he swallowed down the awful things he was about to say to the man. But then Brendon hummed again, reaching up and patting Tony’s arm gently. “Well, that’s a bit of a shame,” He murmured before slipping out of Tony’s space and heading back towards where Julie was.

Tony blinked, his mounting aggression slipping away so fast he almost felt dizzy with it. Was he really that obvious? So obvious as to have this complete stranger pick up on the fact that he _wanted_ to be with her, like _that?_ He shook his head a bit before slowly making his way back towards the bar, only to get caught up in conversation by a couple of music producers who were eager to chat with him about what he thought of the concert.

And _lo and behold!_ Nearly two hours passed them by and it was well on its way to midnight. Tony found himself emotionally drained from all of the conversations, however and was wondering if he could slip out and get some air for a minute. He hated this part of the parties and galas he always went to. People always wanted to network and he…he just wanted to have a few drinks, enjoy the music and maybe get in a dance or two with a pretty girl.

And said pretty girl didn’t seem to want to dance with him, nor anyone else for that matter, so really, he couldn’t feel _too_ bad about that as he did get to dance with her at the concert. She was currently sitting across the room from him, Brendon sitting nice and cozy beside her while they sipped at something that could have been wine or champagne and Julie looked happy, relaxed and easy while they chatted.

Brendon was listening to her intently while she on occasion would show him something on her phone and then she was brandishing her bloody _iPod_ at him and Tony barely resisted the urge to snort. Brendon was grinning from ear to ear as he took it from her and started scrolling through her music, because _of course_ he knew how to use an iPod.

Tony only had a brief moment to wonder where she’d been keeping that…she didn’t bring a purse with her…and really, where the hell had she stashed her phone for that matter? He shook his head a bit at the thought and tried to surreptitiously watch them over the rim of his glass. Of _water._ Thank you very much. The last thing he wanted to do was lose himself in one too many drinks and do or say something he would regret around Julie.

They must have been talking about the songs she danced to and Julie leaned in closer to see which songs he was scrolling through and in doing so, she’d brought their faces very close together. Brendon’s gaze flickered up to her face, eyes settling on her lips before she seemed to realize he’d stopped scrolling and was staring at her far too intently for Tony’s liking.

She stilled, gaze snapping up to meet his and Tony watched in abject horror as the man started to lean in that much closer. Tony’s insides churned and he choked down a horribly wounded sound before anyone near him could hear. He tried to pull his gaze away, she was a grown woman, she could do what she wanted, but he _really_ didn’t want to see this.

Thankfully, he didn’t.

Realization seemed to dawn upon Julie all at once and immediately her happy, curious face was turning into shock and embarrassment. Her hand came up mere seconds before Brendon’s lips would have connected with hers and she placed her palm against the front of his chest, effectively stilling him. Brendon pulled back, a bit startled, _clearly_ , but he didn’t press her.

She looked unsure and embarrassed and she turned her head away for a moment as he leaned in then to whisper something in her ear. She flushed, the blush on her already pink cheeks turning that much brighter as she looked away, Brendon’s lips still too close to her ear for Tony’s liking, but he didn’t exactly have a say in the matter.

And then her head was whipping towards the man, eyes wide in surprise as her gaze snapped back to Brendon and Tony watched as she stared at him with wide, beautiful eyes and parted lips. He was smiling at her kindly, not at all like a man who had just been rejected and Julie looked helplessly lost before her eyes started to wander around the room.

 _Oh Jesus Christ,_ Tony thought, his own gaze darting away as he attempted to busy himself with his phone, pretending like he’d just been checking an email or something trivial so that she didn’t realize he’d been watching. Because she was most _definitely_ looking for him and _why,_ he couldn’t fucking imagine, but it didn’t much matter because he couldn’t be caught. He wanted to know why she’d stopped Brendon’s attempt to kiss her. She seemed to be interested in him, _idolized_ him even and didn’t that just twist him up inside?

He gave himself a thirty-count before he glanced up from his phone and pretended to peruse the room before he had every intention of settling his gaze back on Julie, but by the time his gaze landed on the couch where she’d been, she was gone.

Panic rushed up inside of him, along with a thousand questions. _Did she go with him? Was she just looking for him so that she knew where he was so that she could sneak off to Brendon’s room? Were they kissing? Were they going to sleep together?_

He inwardly groaned, his heart breaking before he was shocked out of his awful spiral of despair by none other than Julie herself. She bounced into his field of vision less than a foot away, smiling at him sweetly when she realized she’d gotten his attention.

“ _Hey-_ “ She greeted, still smiling, still wearing that blush; though it had calmed some.

“Hey yourself-“ Tony tried, hoping he didn’t sound winded or panicked or anything other than _normal._

She stepped in closer to him and he pocketed his phone, gazed fixed solely on her. Her bright blue eyes twinkled as her lips quirked slightly. “It’s getting pretty late…” She said carefully and Tony blinked, the soft tone of her voice making him want to lean in closer.

“Uh yeah, just past midnight…I think. Did you want to head back to the hotel?” He asked, just as quietly.

She nodded, taking another step towards him and he noticed the slight glassiness of her eyes as the lights above them captured her features, not to mention the slight sway as she stepped into his space. He tried to take a deeper breath without making it too obvious about it and then shifted to offer her his arm…you know, like a _real_ gentleman.

Julie smiled up at him, so bright and unrestrained and Tony’s insides practically melted at the sight as she then slipped her arm through his, the warmth of her hand grasping at his arm seeping through his shirt and warming him throughout.

“Did you want to say goodbye to the band before we leave?” He asked, but she was already shaking her head.

“I already did,” She confessed and Tony nodded, gaze flickering around the room as they started for the exit, but he didn’t seen any of the band members.

Just as they approached the door, he cast his gaze back one more time to see if he could spot Brendon and was surprised to find the man standing by the bar, smiling at him. Brendon tipped his glass in Tony’s direction and winked and Tony just floundered, looking at him in complete and utter confusion. What the hell had just _happened?_

The next ten-minutes pass by in a bit of a blur as they headed down to the street, Tony summoning their driver before they’d even reached the first floor. They slipped out into the coolness of the night air and Julie breathed deeply at his side as they walked down the few steps to get to the sidewalk. Their car was already waiting, their driver holding open the door for them.

Tony waved him away, murmuring his thanks as he took Julie’s hand and guided her into the back of the car. She wasn’t exactly steady on her feet and they shared a chuckle as he had to steady her with a hand on her lower back as well, sharing a secret smile as she slipped the rest of the way into her seat. Tony shook his head, smiling something fierce to himself as he slipped in alongside her.

All in all, the party had been more tame than he expected, but for a while there, the _I told you so_ had been warranted. Especially given how overwhelmed Julie had seemed within the first hour. He was relieved that they hadn’t been pushed too much about drinking and there wasn’t a single mention of drugs, so that was also a plus. The music had varied considerably, in both genre and volume, but it hadn’t been _bad._

Tony smiled to himself as he took up his seat and then immediately tensed when he felt Julie shifting and letting out a glorious sigh as she cuddled up to him. He froze, unsure and nervous and _Christ,_ but she was so, so _warm._ He let out a shaky breath as he watched her pull her iPod from her bra, _apparently._ He never did understand why women did that. Though he supposed that the lack of purse really hadn’t given her much choice.

He cast his gaze forward where the driver had courteously rolled up the partition and he settled a bit before glancing back at Julie, who was already humming to herself as she popped an earbud into her ear and then he was floundering for half-a-second as she looked up at him and offered him the other.

He stared back at her, noting the drop of her eyelids, the tiredness of her smile, the ever present flush still overtaking her cheeks and down her neck and-he wasn’t going to look lower right now. He blinked and then tentatively took the offered earbud and placed it into his ear. She murmured something soft, something he didn’t quite catch, but he assumed it was lyrics or something else and settled a bit more as she let out another glorious sigh and settled deeper against his side.

The car pulled away from the curb barely a moment later and Tony forced himself to settle a bit more. He could indulge in her closeness for just a bit longer. She was just sleepy and maybe had a little too much to drink, but she was _warm_ and _soft_ and so, _so_ beautiful. He swallowed hard at the thought, glancing sidelong at her as she rest her cheek against his shoulder. Her eyes were already closed, cheeks that lovely shade of pink, the glitter from her makeup getting _all over_ and he smiled fondly at the thought of finding sparkles on his clothes later.

He let himself sink into her warmth, knowing the car ride would be over sooner than he’d like, and simply listened to the music she’d chosen. _Panic!_ Of course. He hummed along to the song, recognizing it as one of their older songs-or so he’d been told-as _She Had the World_. The next song that came on, however, he didn’t recognize.

The first couple of verses had him blinking in surprise, swallowing hard as he let the words wash over him.

 

_When the moon fell in love with the sun_

_All was golden in the sky_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

 

_When the sun found the moon_

_She was drinking tea in a garden_

_Under the green umbrella trees_

_In the middle of summer…_

 

He closed his eyes, thinking back to the time when he and Julie had just met all those months ago. He’d been in his office at the Tower signing paperwork and it had been _awful_. But then he’d gotten an email from Pepper unsolicited about…about an intern. He’d looked at his screen in confusion. There was a name. Julie O’Donnel along with a video file. He’d clicked it, not sure what Pepper was on about, seeing as there wasn’t even a topic to the email.

The video sprang to life and he’d watched as this shy young woman explained an idea to the camera. She wasn’t dressed professionally and actually looked a little run down. Her hair was a wild blonde mess and she was wearing the biggest pair of black-rimmed glasses he’d ever seen on a woman. He wasn’t sure where the video had come from exactly, because it didn’t look like one of the interview videos he was so used to seeing come by his desk from all the other interns at SI.

This one was very different.

_“So, I’ve been up since-“ The woman glanced off screen to where he assumed a clock sat. “You know what, not important. I’ve been up…for a long while now and I’m not any closer to finding a material that I think will be acceptable.”_

_She sighed deeply, hanging her head and pulling her glasses from her eyes as she rubbed at them. She looked tired, exhausted, really. She shook her head. “I really want this to work…” She whispered. “I want to help hi-someone, everyone I can, really. Th-they don’t deserve to-“ She sighed dejectedly, looking back at the camera and Tony realized that she was looking at her computer screen._

_She was logging this. It was a_ **_personal_ ** _video. He blinked in surprise, sitting back in his desk chair. How on Earth did Pepper come across this video, he wondered. The woman sat back in the video then too, glasses still in her hands as she looked down at her desk. “There was this idea…” She murmured, caressing the arm of her glasses. “An idea that has kept me up late more nights than I care to admit…an idea that keeps me pretty well living off of coffee day in and day out…an idea that I will continue to throw myself into until I see it to its fruition.”_

_She took a deep breath then, shaking her head briefly before sitting up taller and slipping her glasses back on. “Someone told me that talking it out helps, but I can’t really talk about my project because nothing has ever been done like it before and it’s not exactly copyrighted yet, so you know,_ **_discretion_ ** _,” She sighed. “So here I am, talking to no one but myself and has it helped? Not really, no, but-“ She squinted, getting closer to the camera and then making a face before pulling back. “It has given me the idea that maybe showering more regularly is a thing for a reason.”_

_Tony’s lips quirked and idly he started tapping out commands on his keyboard, looking up the woman while he continued to watch the video. “Anyway, I guess I’d better get back to the cradle. I really do need to figure out a better material than this-“ She sighed, picking up a piece of silicone and waving it around. “Because no one wants this on their body and I really wouldn’t blame them.”_

_She nodded to herself and tossed the silicone piece aside, settling better into her chair. “So…back to work, but first, coffee,” She chuckled and then the camera went dark._

Tony had looked at the screen, now close to a dozen windows open with articles Miss O’Donnel had written along with her interview video. _Prosthesis Development_. Tony had smiled softly to himself, asked Jarvis where he might find Miss O’Donnel and shot off a quick _thank you_ to Pepper in the interim. When Jarvis told him she could be found on the R &D floor in the cafeteria, he didn’t see the point in wasting any more time.

And it had been a thing of beauty, the way he’d stepped off of that elevator, walked into the cafeteriaand basically drawn _all_ of the eyes in the room as he’d scanned the crowd for her. She’d been nose deep in a notebook, scribbling madly with a _pencil,_ of all things and he’d blinked, mouth turning up at the corners at the sight. She didn’t have her glasses on, but she was cradling a giant cup of coffee with her free hand and he couldn’t help himself.

He walked purposefully towards her, ignoring the curious stares and hushed murmurs around him. The woman seemed oblivious to the goings on in the room, earbuds tucked firmly into her ears, the cord disappearing into her pocket and he was glad for it. It meant that he could sneak up on her and make a bit of a scene. He always did like those.

So he clasped his hands behind his back and stepped up behind the young woman, making sure to purposefully block the light. He glanced down at the notebook in front of her and he realized she was sketching something, but the rest of the page had formulas and equations for a chemical compound that was continuously scratched out. His brow furrowed, head tilting curiously as he tried to understand what she’d been on about, but then she was shifting, he now almost completely blocking her light.

She huffed, glancing up to see what was the matter and promptly startled, yanking her earbuds from her ears. He shot her a smile as her jaw dropped and she instantly flushed. “M- _Mr. Stark-_ “ She’d breathed and Tony’s smile widened, only a fraction.

“Oh please-” He murmured. “Call me Tony.”

She’d continued to stare at him in shock until he chuckled softly and motioned her to follow him with two fingers. He loved watching people scramble for him and she didn’t disappoint. Her chair scraped across the linoleum and he resisted the urge to chuckle as she shoved everything she had into her book bag. She snatched up her coffee and once she was ready to go, Tony tipped his head towards her and then started walking.

She followed in stunned silence, glancing around belatedly as they passed through the doors of the cafeteria, only to inwardly grimace when she saw _all_ eyes on her. She shrugged sheepishly and then darted out the door. She followed him in stunned silence until they were in the elevator, boxed in, as it were. She was standing beside him, both facing the doors and Tony glanced over at her. “Aren’t you going to ask me where we’re going?” He inquired.

She flushed, glancing over at him. “Where are we going?” She asked dutifully.

“It’s a secret,” He said cheekily.

She let out a puff of air at that and he tried to resist the urge to grin. The elevator dinged as it came to a stop on one of the private floors of the Tower and she followed him out into a small hallway before they came to a wall of glass windows and a very large door. She watched in intense curiosity as he stepped up to the doors and pressed his hand to the data reader.

“Welcome back, Sir. May I inquire as to your guest?” Jarvis intoned.

The woman flushed, glancing from Tony to the walls around them. She knew _of_ Jarvis, had heard him speak on occasion in the elevators or in the lobby, but she’d never really _heard_ him. “Miss O’Donnel?” Tony asked, glancing over his shoulder at the woman in question.

“Julie-“ She whispered.

Tony arched a brow at her. “Julie…is here at my request. She is to be given access to the workshop whenever she likes and we will discuss more about what she can have access to later.”

“Of course, Sir,” Jarvis replied.

Julie blinked, completely at a loss for words and then he was slipping through the doors. The doors remained open and really, she had no choice but to follow. Once inside, the doors slipped shut behind her and Tony motioned her towards a set of desks and several computer screens off to the right.

“This-“ He gestured. “Will be your new workstation. I will have all of your belongings brought up from R&D shortly, but for now, I’d like you to get comfortable and familiar with Jarvis and the tools you’ll have at your disposal. You’ll have access to all of your files on your other computers and your login information is of course the same-“

“M-Mr. Stark?” She whispered, timidly interrupting him. “I-this is-this is _a lot-_ “ She breathed, running a nervous hand through her hair.

Tony turned to properly survey her. “It is a lot,” He agreed. “But you see…there’s this thing-“ He sighed, watching her very carefully. “This _idea_ , actually.”

Julie’s gaze snapped up to his, having been previously focused on a spot on the wall. Tony smiled kindly at her in return. “And I think I’d like to hear more about it.”

Julie blinked at him, a nervous and oh so timid smile gracing her lips. “Y-yeah, I-I can do that,” She agreed.

“Excellent, why don’t you take a seat and we can chat for a bit?” He asked, motioning towards one of the desk chairs behind her.

She nodded, turning to set her things down, but then she stopped and turned back to survey him. “I-just-one thing I really wanted to say before we start-“

Tony nodded, waving his hand in the universal gesture for _do go on_. She blew out a breath and then gushed, “It is so incredible to meet you, Mr. Stark. I never thought I’d be given an opportunity like this and y-yeah, I am so honoured to meet you and your tech is just _amazing_ and all the charities you support-I seriously admire you and _holy crap_ you’re _Iron Man_ -I’m seriously talking to Iron Man right now-“

Tony’s lips curved up into a grin and he shook his head, gesturing once again to the seat behind her. “Perhaps we can sit down and chat about your idea first and if I really like it, then maybe I’ll let you fan-girl some more.”

She laughed, her cheeks flushing as she nodded and eagerly took up her seat. “Y-yeah, sounds great,” She choked, blushing furiously while Tony simply shook his head at this adorable woman.

 

They’d chatted for ages that day. Tony didn’t get any work done, but it’d been so worth it. It’d been the most beautiful day he could remember in a very long time. Because he’d been blessed with meeting a woman who would and has changed his world in so many incredible ways. He swallowed hard, glancing down at the now sleeping woman pressed against his side, he still listening to the song as it played on.

 

_When the moon found the sun_

_He looked like he was barely hanging on_

_But her eyes saved his life_

_In the middle of summer (summer)_

 

_In the middle of summer_

_All was golden in the sky_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

_Summer (summer)_

_All was golden in the sky_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

 

_Summer, summer, summer, summer_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

_So he said, "Would it be all right_

_If we just sat and talked for a little while_

_If in exchange for your time_

_I give you this smile?”_

 

_So she said, "That's OK_

_As long as you can make a promise_

_Not to break my little heart_

_Or leave me all alone in the summer.”_

 

_Well he was just hanging around_

_Then he fell in love_

_And he didn't know how_

_But he couldn't get out_

_Just hanging around_

_Then he fell in love_

 

_In the middle of summer_

_All was golden in the sky_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

_Summer (summer)_

_All was golden in the sky_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

_Summer, summer, summer, summer_

_All was golden when the day met the night_

 

_Summer, summer, summer, summer_

_In the middle of summer, summer, summer, summer_

_The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer_

_The middle of summer, summer, summer, summer_

_In the middle of…_

 

Funnily enough, it hadn’t been quite the middle of the Summer, but it was a near thing. He’d felt like he’d been saved that day, even if he didn’t realize it quite to that degree at that particular moment. But he recognized it for what it was now. She had changed his life, saved him from a spiral he’d been slowly falling in to. He and Pepper had been broken up for a few months by then, only just starting to form a tentative friendship again and it’d been harder on him than he’d ever even begin to admit and Julie? Julie had saved him, had given him purpose, his _life_ more purpose once again.

He swallowed hard at the thought, letting his eyes close for a brief moment, but then the car was pulling into the hotel and he reluctantly removed the earbud and carefully tried to rouse the sleeping beauty next to him.

She mumbled softly in her sleep and Tony brushed hair out of her eyes tentatively before attempting to rouse her more thoroughly. She blinked dazedly as she pried herself from his side, he immediately missing her warmth as she looked up at him. “We’re here,” He murmured, pushing open the door on his own before their driver got there.

Julie blinked slowly at him a small smile on her lips as she nodded and started scooting towards him and then they were both climbing out of the car together, Julie stumbling and Tony just managing to support her in time. She was laughing lightly and apologizing, but Tony just smiled, shaking his head as he insisted that it was alright.

He glanced around them, thanking their driver when he made eye contact before slipping him a couple of bills, which the man had tried to wave off with a warm smile. “I’ll be back in the morning to pick you up, Mr. Stark,” He said instead.

Tony nodded, telling him he’d call and then they were heading up the steps, Julie half hanging onto him and he her as he led her up the stairs. Her movements were sluggish, tired and she was definitely more tipsy than he’d realized. _Oh well, at least she enjoyed herself_. He thought as they walked through the lobby, smiling at the receptionist and _praying_ that everything in their suite had been tidied up for them. He really didn’t want to have to explain that away to Julie right now.


	16. Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter! Sorry! <3 I'm working on it, I swear. I've written a little bit farther than this and I really did want to make this one longer, but I'm struggling a bit with how I want the next part of this to go and it might take me a bit to work it out. Thank you for your patience, I hope you like the story so far. ^_~

Thankfully, he didn’t have to. There were no rose petals or bottles of champagne anywhere in sight and as he watched her make her way into the bedroom and then just as suddenly disappear into the bathroom, he breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t realized there was just the one bed… _yet_.

He closed the door behind him and wandered further into the suite, noting the bouquet of lilies and orchids on one of the tables along with several chocolate dipped strawberries and decided to put them into the mini fridge so they wouldn’t spoil. He could hear the water running in the bathroom and he figured he had a minute to grab his bag out of the bedroom before she came out.

But of course he didn’t time it properly and when the bathroom door swung open to reveal a much more awake version of Julie, without all her sparkly makeup and hair free from its braid and hanging down in loose waves, he found himself frozen in place, bag clutched in his hand. She blinked at him, gaze flitting down to his bag and then over to hers on the bed…and then to the bed and then to the rest of the suite.

“Only one bed, huh?” She said lightly, a cheeky smile on her face.

Tony chuckled nervously. “Didn’t plan it that way, _honest_. There was a bit of a mixup with the room, so I’m just going to-“ He trailed off, jerking a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the couch.

Julie raised a delicate brow. “You’re not sleeping on the couch, Stark,” She muttered, reaching for her bag and sifting around inside.

Tony swallowed. “Well, where else am I going to sleep? I’m not going to make you take the couch,” He said firmly.

Julie rolled her eyes, having stopped her searching when she found what she’d been apparently looking for. “We can share the bed. It’s a King and I really don’t take up much room.”

Tony blinked, jaw dropping open slightly. “Are you _drunk?_ ” He asked incredulously.

Julie barked out a surprised laugh, looking to him in obvious amusement. Tony barely resisted the urge to grin. “Maybe a bit tipsy? But no, not _drunk,_ drunk,” She admitted, still laughing lightly. “Come on, just put on some pyjamas and get into bed. It’s late and I want to sleep and not have to hear you complain about your back being sore in the morning, so sleep in the damn bed.”

Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you calling me old? Because I think you’re calling me old.”

Julie laughed, shaking her head as she pulled her clothes from her bag and started towards the bathroom. “Just get into bed.”

Tony grinned at her and as she shut the bathroom door behind her, called out, “What if I didn’t bring pyjamas?!”

“Get in the bed, Tony!” She shouted, laughter in her voice.

Tony grinned, shaking his head. He glanced down at the bed, having already dropped his bag on the covers. It was a King and there would be plenty of room, but he couldn’t help the little thrill that ran through him at the idea of sharing a bed with her. He knew it was a bad idea, but figured he was full of those these days, so what’s one more?

He stripped out of his suit, laying it flat over one of the chairs by the bed. Julie was still in the bathroom changing and he shifted uncomfortably for a moment when he realized that he actually had forgotten his pyjamas. “Oh well,” He muttered, leaving his briefs on and pulling a black tank top over his head.

The Arc Reactor was covered enough so as not to be a distracting light and once he felt comfortable enough, he slipped into bed. He listened as Julie busied herself in the bathroom, brushing her teeth and the like and then she knocked on the door. “Are you decent?” She called quietly.

Tony smirked. “As decent as you can expect.”

There was a moment’s hesitation and then the door opened a crack. Tony chuckled and the door swung open more, revealing Julie with her hand over her eyes and wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a Captain America t-shirt. She spread her fingers to look through them tentatively and found Tony grinning at her. She laughed lightly in response and then she was flicking out the bathroom light before climbing into bed too.

The bed really was gigantic. There was at least two feet of space between them and when she turned onto her side towards Tony and smiled at him, he wished there weren’t a millimetre of space between them. “No funny business,” He teased and she only smiled brighter at him, shaking her head.

“No funny business,” She agreed, a yawn taking over.

Tony smiled fondly at her before he too found himself yawning. “Get some sleep. We’re going to head over to my place around 9 if you’re up for it. We can spend the whole day by the pool and down on the beach.”

Julie smiled, her eyes now closed as she snuggled up under the blankets. “Sure, Tony,” She murmured sleepily. “That sounds nice.”

Tony’s heart swelled a little more at that. She’d been slipping up and calling him Tony more often lately and it always gave him a warm fuzzy feeling. He tried not to let anymore fondness bleed into his smile and ultimately failed, but at least her eyes were closed so she didn’t see.

He rolled onto his back and let out a soft breath, just listening to the sound of the woman next to him breathing steadily. He managed to relax some, she did sort of have that effect on him, when he wasn’t busy worrying about slipping up and letting on to the way he felt about her, however. The room was dimly lit, just the one lamp on by his bedside and he reached over to flick it off, praying to every single God he’d had the pleasure and displeasure of meeting, not to let him wake up spooning the woman of his dreams.

The bed situation really did seem like the perfect setup for a rom-com and he really didn’t think he could undo the knowledge of what it might feel like to wake up to Julie held safe in his arms. He closed his eyes, relaxing back into the bedcovers and then turned back onto his side when he heard a soft snore from beside him. She was already asleep and Tony did one of the things he did best, torture himself, watching her sleep in the near darkness of the bedroom.

He shifted minutely, reaching to pull down his tank top to reveal the glowing blue light of the Arc-Reactor in hopes of illuminating her features more clearly. It worked. Her face was bathed in the soft blue glow of the device and Tony looked on. Her lips were parted in sleep, her brow completely relaxed, her face lax, _peaceful_. He was so smitten, so enamoured by her. This wonderful, amazing woman that had come out of nowhere and made his life into something else entirely.

He wanted to tell her how he felt, how much he cared for her, how much he wanted to be with her. But he didn’t think it right, despite what Steve and Bucky and the rest of his Team said. She was young. _So_ young and he didn’t want to take advantage. She deserved someone better than him, or so he kept telling himself. He was doing that thing again where he denied himself something for what he thought would be the benefit of the other, not giving _her_ a choice in the matter either, which he knew was wrong. But he just couldn’t help it.

He couldn’t bear to put her through any more than he already had…but he couldn’t seem to stop putting himself through so much _worse_. A pained expression came over him then and he found himself unable to look away from the woman’s soft features as she slept. He would take one more day.

 _One more day_ , he thought to himself. _One more day and then I’ll distance myself. I can be her friend and_ ** _only_ **_her friend. I can do it, I’m Tony Stark. I can do anything._

He swallowed around the lump in his throat and closed his eyes for just a moment to accept the lie, accept the thought of what he planned to do after tomorrow. He’d work out logistics when they were home. Right now, he was going to enjoy himself, sleeping in a bed next to the woman of his dreams and _not_ worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow he was going to make sure she enjoyed herself.

Tomorrow he was going to be the best he could be, tomorrow he was going to show her the sights, let her into his home, let her eat and drink and get some sun and he was going to love her as she did it…from the privacy of his own mind and his own heart.


	17. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look! A wild Update appeared! Omg, I am so, so sorry it took me this long. I sincerely hope this is a decent update for you guys. <3 We're finally getting some progress here! Though maybe not in the direction we'd all like. But enjoy, nevertheless, because it's only going to get more angsty and stuff before it gets better, but I SWEAR it will all be worth it in the end. <3 So read on, my pretties! And leave me love and comments, please and thank you. n_n

The next morning went as well as one could have expected. Tony had pretty well called it when he thought he’d wake up spooning her, however, it wasn’t _exactly_ the case. Tony was pressed up against her side, head resting _very_ comfortably against her chest, one of her long thin arms wrapped around his shoulders and holding him tight while he’d wrapped an arm around her waist and held on just as tight.

He blinked himself awake slowly, his breathing shifting from slow and calm to wakeful. He shifted slightly and felt the comfy pillow beneath him rise and…fall? He blinked a little more awake at that, realizing very quickly that he was not in fact sleeping on a pillow. _Well_ , pillow was a relative term, he supposed. Julie’s chest rose and fell once more and Tony, afraid to move or even breathe, in turn had the effect of stopping _her_ breath as well.

He felt the change in her warm body beneath his cheek and arm as she tensed, not bothering to even draw a breath in of her own. He slowly forced himself to pull away from her warmth and he was sure he had a bit of pink in his cheeks, but there really wasn’t much he could do about that. He blinked stupidly as he pulled back from her, reluctantly unwrapping his arm from around her middle, his gaze flitting up to look at her face.

But she wasn’t looking at him and instead had the most adorably confused look on her face as she looked down at…the absolutely _horrendous_ **_drool_** stain on her Captain America t-shirt. “Uh…” Tony said, rather eloquently if he did say so himself.

Julie blinked, still looking as if she were half asleep, but then she seemed to _understand_ what exactly it was she was looking at and the most heart-meltingly adorable grimace crossed her face. Tony did the only thing he could when faced with something that amazing; he burst out laughing.

Julie looked absolutely _appalled_ as she plucked her shirt from her shoulder where most of the wet-spot seemed to be and then gave Tony a very unimpressed pout. “You drooled on me-“ She said in complete and utter disbelief.

Tony was still cackling manically as he rolled back onto his side of the bed, missing the warmth of her arm draped around his shoulders immensely, but wholeheartedly trying not to think about it. Julie still looked adorably sleepy as she continued to hold the wet spot of her shirt away from her skin and Tony…Tony was now wheezing with his happy laughter as he tried to apologize.

Julie was still grimacing as she sat up, giving up her grasp on her shirt to instead wipe at her sleep filled eyes. “That’s gross, Stark. I can’t believe you drooled all over my Captain America shirt. What? Are you _jealous?_ ” She teased and Tony spluttered, shaking his head.

“Not jealous, sweetheart, I just tend to drool when I actually do manage to get some sleep,” He admitted, still chuckling softly as he sat up and slipped out of bed.

Julie huffed, trying to hide her slight blush at the pet name as her gaze followed him as he went to his duffel bag…and then she was just as quickly wrenching her gaze away from the man as he bent down to rifle through it…in just his briefs and tank. _Oh boy_ , she thought, rubbing her eyes and tossing aside the blankets as she too slipped out of bed.

She’d thoroughly enjoyed waking up to having Tony’s arm around her, his warmth pressing up against her and she struggled with the sudden loss. She glanced up at the mirror in the bathroom, having somehow managed to stumble inside and blinked back at her sleepy-eyed reflection. She wanted to crawl back into bed and drag Tony along with her and maybe never come out again. That sounded like a good plan.

She huffed, rubbing at her tired eyes. “You okay?” Came Tony’s suddenly soft voice from the doorway.

Julie blinked, dropping her hand as she turned to look at him. He looked concerned, brows pinched up in worry as his gaze seemed to settle on her. She swallowed. “Yeah-“ She breathed, shaking her head as she gave him a small self-deprecating smile. “Think maybe I drank a bit too much last night, is all.”

She threw in a chuckle for good measure and Tony’s gaze softened. “Yeah, that’ll do it,” He chuckled and she smiled a little more genuinely this time.

“You mind if I-?” She started, gesturing towards the shower.

Tony nodded, stepping back from the door a bit. “Yeah, go right ahead. I’ll order us some breakfast.”

Julie smiled gently at him and nodded. “Sounds good,” She murmured, watching as he turned away and started towards the living area…her gaze dropping down to look at his butt in those lovely black briefs.

She inwardly groaned before quickly shutting the door and turning on the shower. This was going to be a long day.

And it was, _oh,_ was it ever. It was single-handedly one of the longest, most _gruelling_ days of Tony’s life and let me tell you, that is no easy feat. First, they had had breakfast together, one that consisted of waffles and fresh strawberries, blueberries, bananas and mango and it was delicious. It really was. They’d even shared a couple of mimosas. So, they’d thoroughly enjoyed themselves at breakfast, even if Tony had to keep averting his gaze each and every time Julie decided she wanted to eat a strawberry.

Just an FYI, she ate like… _all_ of them.

And then they’d been picked up and taken over to his mansion in Malibu and they’d changed and headed down to the beach, even though Tony had tried to insist on staying by the pool instead, his only argument behind it being; “but _saaand-_ “

It didn’t work. “But I’ve never been to a beach before! I want to spread my toes in the sand, _please?_ ” She’d sighed and then batted her long blonde eyelashes all pretty-like at him.

And really? Tony Stark was only human. How in the hell was he supposed to resist her? He’d blinked stupidly at her before suddenly gathering up a beach bag with towels, sunscreen and bottled water and then they were off, Julie’s delightful ‘ _squee_ ’ of excitement music to his ears.

They’d trudged down nearly two-hundred steps before they’d made it to the beach and he’d happily do it all over again just to witness the pure _joy_ Julie had expressed when she’d kicked off her flip-flops and jumped the last couple of steps into the sand to spread her toes.

He’d done his best to hide his fond smile and was pretty sure he failed spectacularly but he couldn’t really care, not when she was so happy and…pulling off her Hulk t-shirt she’d worn over her bikini and _wow_ , yep. He was so, _so_ screwed. They’d barely made it five feet from the steps before she was wiggling out of her cute pink shorts as well and then she was running off towards the water.

And Tony? Tony had just stood there, arms full of stuff as he watched her rush to the water’s edge and dodge the waves as they came up to her. She was laughing and dipping her toes in only a little at a time before rushing in, only to rush right back up the beach as she tried to get away from the waves.

It had been beautiful to watch her darting back and forth, obviously ecstatic and as soon as she’d managed to get a proper feel for the water, she’d just _dove_ in. Tony had experienced a moment of panic, not sure if she actually knew _how_ to swim, but apparently he needn’t have worried. He’d walked along the beach a bit and dropped their towels and things down and went back to pick up her clothes after he was sure she was in fact alright.

He’d sat down to wait for her for a while, watching her float around in the ocean and stare out at the sea while he applied a bit of sunscreen. She came out of the water a good half an hour later, her cheeks looking a bit pink, either from the sun or exertion, he couldn’t be sure. Either way, he opened his mouth to say something he would almost immediately regret, but well, it was important, _damnit._

“You should probably put some sunscreen on before you ruin that _lovely_ complexion you have,” He chuckled, watching as she wrung out her hair, all blinding smiles as she leaned down to pick up a towel.

“Oh man, the water is so beautiful! _Wow-_ I just-this is _amazing_ , Tony. I just-you don’t- _thank you,_ Tony. Thank you so much for bringing me here,” She gushed, dropping down to her knees on one of the towels beside him, clutching another in her hands.

Tony swallowed hard, trying to plaster on his trademark Stark grin to get him through this. “It’s just a beach, Julie. Y-you don’t need to thank me, but I am glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

She smiled so brightly at him as she nodded, dabbing her face with the towel before attempting to dry off the rest of her as she then turned her back to him and held out the sunscreen bottle. “Would you mind getting my back for me?”

And yep…longest, most gruelling day in the history of forever for Tony Stark. He’d inwardly groaned and taken the bottle from her, squeezing out a generous amount before _tentatively_ placing his hands on her upper back as she swept aside her long hair for him. “Sure, of course, I don’t want you to burn or anything-“ He’d fumbled, swallowing hard as she’d then taken the sunscreen and started coating the rest of her in it.

She laughed lightly. “I probably won’t even get a tan. I’ll just burn or stay super white.”

Tony chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Not all of us can be blessed with olive skin, but you’ve got great skin, so let’s try not to let it get burnt.”

Julie huffed lightly, smiling as she’d looked over her shoulder at him and Tony had resisted the urge not to swallow too hard as their gazes met. But she merely smiled at him and nodded and then handed him the bottle of sunscreen once again…before leaning over _farther_ so that he could get her lower back.

 _Great, just great,_ he thought, blowing out a slow breath before he coated his hands once again and gently placed them on her lower back. Her skin was such a milky colour, so unblemished and perfect and he found himself licking his lips as he spread his fingers out, feeling her breathe as she leant forward a bit more, wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her chin on the top of her knee.

He could feel her ribs slightly as he worked to make sure she was fully coated in lotion and she was just so _warm_ and whether or not that was because of the sun or if it was just her, he couldn’t be sure. It was pretty hot out. He spread his hands over her lower back one last time and realized that he could actually span the entirety of her back, his fingers just barely curling around her sides. He swallowed. By _God_ , but she was just so _petit_.

He licked his lips, gaze straying down the dip of her spine beneath his thumbs to the edge of her black bathing suit bottoms and then realized belatedly that he was just holding her and no longer rubbing the sunscreen in. He pulled his hands away swiftly and proclaimed that he was all done.

She hummed softly before shifting and turning to lay down on her back, staring up at the sky and squinting adorably when the sun got in her eyes. “It’s beautiful out here, Tony,” She sighed, turning to look at him for a moment.

Tony simply nodded, tearing his gaze from her earnest smile and looking out over the ocean. “It really is,” He agreed.

He felt her eyes linger on him for a few moments more before she sighed and looked away. “I always wanted to visit Hawaii, you know. But I guess Malibu will have to do,” Julie sighed dreamily.

Tony chuckled softly, gaze sweeping out over the ocean. “Maui, that’s where you ought to go sometime. It’s beautiful there, some of the most gorgeous scenery you’ll ever see.”

“I’ll bet,” She sighed, propping herself up on her hands to look out across the water. “It’s a shame I don’t know how to surf or anything, bet that’d be fun.”

Tony laughed. “I could never get the hang of that, try as I might. Requires a lot of patience, waiting for the right wave, timing it _just_ right.”

Julie blinked. “I think you’re a very patient person, Mr. Stark.”

Tony frowned. “Not for stuff like that.”

Julie huffed. “It’s not science, so no, not for stuff like that, I suppose.”

He smiled, shaking his head as he leaned back on his hands, gaze sweeping down the secluded beach for something other than her glistening skin to look at. He was at least thankful he had a pair of sunglasses to hide behind when he did catch himself staring.

They spent the majority of their morning there and then hiked back up to get lunch before they spent the rest of the day out by the pool, Julie attempting to dive and jackknife and even cannonball whenever she could, just for an excuse to get Tony wet. They had fun together, they didn’t always talk, but the silences were calm and neither felt the need to fill them with small talk. They knew each other too well for that.

Before they knew it, it was 9 o-clock and they’d been sitting outside on the patio sharing wine and desert, dinner long having been tidied up for them. Julie had been quiet for the last little while, just nibbling on her fruit and swirling her glass of riesling while she looked out over the cliffside to the ocean. Tony had ditched his sunglasses ages ago and was now freely staring at her, not bothering to make up an excuse for it.

He just wanted to look. He just wanted to admire her like this for a little longer before he told himself he couldn’t do it again. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and glanced down at his phone as the screen lit up for the _thousandth_ time, most likely. There were missed calls and messages from the Team, nothing urgent, seeing as the alarm hadn’t sounded. They were just being nosy. There were even a couple of messages from Rhodey and Pepper.

But he ignored them all in favour of giving his utmost attention to Julie instead. She deserved every moment of his time and then some. He was going to look away as soon as she looked back to him, but he found the moment she started to turn to face him, he just… _couldn’t._ She looked saddened almost and his lips parted as if to speak, to ask her what was the matter, but she beat him to it.

“We have to go back soon, don’t we?” She whispered and why she whispered, she wasn’t sure, but Tony knew.

He knew she didn’t want to break the little bubble they’d placed themselves in and he really didn’t want to do the same either, so he found himself whispering back. “Yeah, I guess so-I mean, I could arrange for you to stay a little longer, it-it wouldn’t be a problem-“

Julie’s gaze flickered over his features. “You can’t stay though, can you?”

Tony swallowed, aware that she probably saw the helpless bob of his Adam’s apple, even in the dim light of the patio. “I can’t, no,” He murmured apologetically, knowing it was a lie.

He knew he could stay, but he also knew that he really shouldn’t.

“Of course not-“ She chuckled a little, shifting forwards in her seat as she set her now empty wine glass down. “Tony Stark is a very busy man, I really do understand. T-this was a lot of fun, Mr. Stark. I did really enjoy my time here-w-with you,” She whispered, gaze flickering everywhere but refusing to settle on his face.

Tony reached out, unthinkingly then and grasped her wrist. She stilled instantly, her fidgeting brought to a standstill as her gaze instantly met his. He smiled at her warmly. “I really enjoyed my time here with you as well, Julie. I had a lot of fun and we can stay another day here, if you’d really like, I can call and move some things around-“

“No-“ She whispered, smiling gently at him as she cupped her free hand over his own. “That’s alright, Mr. Stark. We-we should go home, I have a get together planned for Tuesday night with my students now that their classes are over and I wanted to pick up a few things before then.”

Tony nodded in understanding, slowly withdrawing his hand from the warmth of hers. “Alright, why don’t you go in and pack your things? You can take a shower if you’d like before we leave, the car will be here in forty minutes or so. Is that alright?”

She nodded, slowly rising to her feet and Tony watched as she braced a palm against the glass tabletop. She stopped as she went to leave, half turned, hand still settled atop the table and it looked like she wanted to say something more, but seemed to think better of it as she flashed him a warm smile before slipping off through the patio doors.

Tony breathed out roughly through his nose, taking a moment to just _breathe_ before he picked up his phone and called their driver, and then called the airstrip to let them know he was ready to leave.

 

It was nearing 7am New York time by the time they landed at the airport and Happy had arrived to pick up the sleepy pair. Julie had crashed for most of the flight in the bedroom while Tony hadn’t bothered to even _try_ and get any sleep. Instead, he’d been busy making plans. And they weren’t by any means, _good_ plans. Actually, it was more of an outline of a plan, like…skeletal structure…er, no structure.

They arrived back at the compound without incident, Julie still mostly asleep while they wandered through the garage and into the compound itself. Before Happy could get too far, however, Tony leaned over and very quietly murmured, “Keep the car running, would you?”

Happy had looked at him curiously, but nodded nonetheless, watching as Tony followed Julie to the elevator with their bags in hand. Once in the elevator, she turned to look at him, giving him a sleepy smile before taking her bag from him. “Thank you again, Mr. Stark. I really did have a wonderful time this weekend. Hands down, the best birthday I’ve ever had,” She confessed.

Tony smiled, obviously pleased, but there was something off about it but she couldn’t quite understand what. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” He murmured softly, then asked Jarvis to take them to her floor first. “You should head to bed for a bit longer, rest up. It’s still early and it’s Monday, for crying out loud. Not like anyone’ll be up to much anyway.”

Julie hummed, blinking dazedly at him as she squished her bag to her chest. Definitely still sleepy. By _God_ was she adorable like this. “Yeah, I’ll head up to bed-“ She yawned, interrupting herself and Tony’s smile turned way too fond, way too quickly.

The elevator doors slid smoothly open once they arrived at her floor and she waved a little as she stepped out, smiling at Tony sweetly as she murmured, “I’ll see you later. Came up with a couple of ideas I want to run by you, see what you think, but yeah…sleep now, science later.”

He chuckled softly, nodding as he gave her yet another strained smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sounds good, I’ll see you later,” He agreed, letting the doors close as she flashed him a tired smile and disappeared down the hall to her suite.

As soon as the doors closed, Tony crumbled, barely keeping his voice level before he asked Jarvis to take him to the penthouse. He dumped his bag, taking everything save for his toiletries out before stuffing it full with more clothes. Just the necessities, no suits. He’d buy some later. By the time he’d packed a new bag, changed into new clothes and made his way back into the elevator, it was just on 7:45. Very close to the time when Steve usually arrived back from his morning run and he _definitely_ did not want to chance running into the man right now.

Happy was waiting every so patiently by the car with a curious look on his face when he caught sight of the genius with a newly packed bag and sporting a fresh pair of clothes. “Where to Boss?” He inquired.

“Airport, Hap and I hate to do this to you, but make it snappy,” He muttered, realizing he was asking the impossible on a _Monday_ morning in _New York_ of all places.

Happy’s face fell just a fraction of thing, but then grim determination settled in. “Of course, Boss. Better get settled then,” He murmured, taking the offered bag and stowing it in the trunk.

Tony nodded, slipping into the backseat and pulling out his phone. He unlocked it and found himself staring down at the picture he’d saved as his background image and swallowed hard. It was the photo of Julie sleeping on their way to Malibu and his heart clenched painfully for a moment, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen.

Happy hit the brakes suddenly as they pulled out of the entrance, however, and it prompted Tony to look up in confusion, only to have his eyes grow wide as he saw Steve standing to their left, looking confused and a bit startled.

“Shit, I almost ran over Captain America-“ Happy muttered from the front, waving and smiling apologetically at Steve.

The blond was soon smiling at Happy, his confusion still apparent but realizing Happy must have been in a hurry. Tony prayed he wasn’t spotted in the back seat. He did have great tinted windows, but somehow he figured super-soldier vision might be better. He was right.

Steve’s gaze flickered towards the backseat and his brows furrowed in confusion. Tony grimaced and tried to duck down in his seat, but it was obviously too late. Steve’s mouthed, ‘ _Tony’_ clearly visible from his side of the window.

“ _Drive,_ Happy. I don’t have time to stop and chat,” Tony hissed and Happy cast him a curious glance in his rearview before he nodded and turned out into the lane properly.

Tony tried not to look back, he really did and he’d forever regret looking back and seeing the awful look on Steve’s face. He was so _disappointed_ , standing there in the middle of the garage doorway, staring after Tony as if _he_ were the one Tony was about to hurt.

Tony shut his eyes tightly, unable to shake that look and knowing that he’d probably not be able to forget it for a long time. He shook his head, picking up his phone again and this time ignoring the background image and dialled Pepper’s number.

It rang _four_ bloody times and Tony’s heart stopped each time. _Finally_ she answered. “ _Tony?_ What’s wrong? Why are you calling me at the crack of- _oh my God,_ ** _Tony_** , if you’re not dying, I _swear-_ “

“ _Pep-_ “ Tony nearly whimpered, cutting her off entirely.

“What’s _wrong_?” She asked desperately and Tony crumbled, hand flying up to pinch the awful crease between his brow.

“I fucked up, I-I’m a mess-I-I need you guys-“ He confessed, feeling pathetic and weak and every bit a _child_ in that moment.

“Oh, _Tony,_ ” She whispered. “Where are you?”

“On my way to the airport, should be at your place by 9, it’s only 8 here. I-is Rhodey home?” He asked hopefully.

“I’m here, buddy,” Came Rhodey’s sleepy and only slightly muffled reply.

Tony sighed with relief. “Good, I-I really need you guys,” He admitted quietly.

Pepper sighed into the phone. “Whatever it is, we’ll be here, honey. We’re going to get some sleep before you arrive, it’s still very early here. You’re lucky we love you or I wouldn’t have answered the phone.”

Tony huffed. “Sorry about that, time differences suck. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“See you then,” She murmured sleepily, Rhodey yawning and muttering something along the same lines.

Tony hung up, dropping the phone into his lap and staring forlornly out the window at the busy street. “Hey, Boss?” Happy murmured quietly.

Tony’s gaze flickered up to meet his friend’s in the rearview. “You think this is the best way to go about this?” He asked just as quietly.

Tony shook his head. “Probably not,” He admitted, frowning deeply as he looked back out at the busy New York traffic. “But it has to be done and I-I’m only human, Hap. I can’t be here if I’m going to move on.”

Happy frowned, gaze flickering back to traffic before he glanced back once more at his long time boss and friend. “Maybe you don’t need to move on, boss. She seemed pretty sweet on you-“

“ _Don’t-_ “ Tony whispered hoarsely. “Please, Hap. Just, _don’t_.”

Happy nodded quietly, letting out a deep sigh and wishing his hearing was a little better. Because he was sure he’d heard Tony say something self-deprecating just then and he’d like to be able to refute it.

“She doesn’t feel that way about me. She can’t,” He whispered to himself, leaning forward and pressing his hands to the back of his head as he dropped his head between his knees to just _breathe._


	18. Eighteen

9 Missed phone calls, 6 angry voicemails, 21 text messages, 11 of which were _very_ threatening and 3 emails, _all_ of which Tony Stark was attempting to ignore and not dwell on _at all_. He was failing miserably by the way. He’d had to shut off his phone after day two, relying solely on Pepper and Rhodey to guide him around. Not that he was doing a whole lot. The first four days he spent cooped up in their lovely home, getting to know all of their dirty little secrets because they had to _work_.

Well, Pepper did try to drag him along to her meetings and whatnot, but he really wasn’t ready to get out of the moping stage of things just yet. Rhodey had tried to insist he could take a few days off, but Tony refused to let him miss time off work for him and his stupid problems. Rhodey and Pepper ended up dragging him out on day four, however, because it was really just getting ridiculous now.

They took him out for dinner and he tried to put on a happy face, he really did and it worked…if you didn’t know Tony Stark as a close and personal friend. They weren’t fooled for a second. Day five and six consisted of his two close friends lecturing him about how stupid he was after having to _listen_ to him for the last six days and all his miserable self-deprecating _bullshit_. Tony had felt very much attacked and had said so, remaining firm on his _bullshit_ reasoning as to why he did not want to pursue things with Julie or even attempt at getting a feel for whether or not she would even _want_ to.

He just simply didn’t believe it could happen, that she could _possibly_ want that and he would keep things strictly professional between them. He had to. For her sanity as well as his. He lied through his teeth so much to them that he actually really did start to believe some of the bullshit lies he was stringing together. And no matter what they said to him, he stood firm and said that he would stand firm upon returning to the compound.

She was and is his intern, a friend and nothing more. It couldn’t be anything more. It could _never_ be anything more.

 

And while Tony was away, for what was nearly a week now, the Team-primarily Steve, Bucky, Peter, Natasha and Clint-were left to monitor an increasingly worrisome situation with Julie. Day one of Tony’s absence had…not gone over great, but it wasn’t awful, exactly.

Julie had come up quietly to the communal kitchen around 3pm looking lost and a little confused as she clutched her phone to her chest. Her eyes were wide and so, _so_ round, their bright blue dampened with what Steve thought was hurt. He was proven right not a moment later.

“I-did I do something wrong?” She asked timidly, looking up at Steve as he sat at the kitchen island, his own cellphone set on the counter in front of him.

He shifted, turning to face her properly as he looked to her in confusion. “Why would you think that?”

She frowned, drawing her phone away from her chest and poking at the screen a few times before displaying a text message to him…from _Tony._ He swallowed, eyes firmly fixed on the small screen and the message from him that read; ‘ _I’ll be out of town on business for a few days, but feel free to make use of the lab. Jarvis will keep an eye on you. Not sure when I’ll be back, but let me know if you have any hiccups and I’ll see what I can swing. Bye for now.’_

Steve’s gaze drifted back to Julie’s, meeting her worried gaze and terrible pout. “ _No,_ honey. You didn’t do anything wrong. He-he just-I saw him leave this morning and he was alright-just meetings I guess he had to get to, that’s all-“

But even as he said it, he watched Julie’s face crumple even more, tears now brimming and threatening to spill. “He left this _morning?_ ” She choked. “We only got back here around 7:30-he-he didn’t _tell_ me he had meetings or-or business to get to-“

Steve’s face fell, anger welling up inside him just a bit. “I’m sorry-I- _Christ_ , he makes me _so-_ “ He bit out, before visibly trying to calm himself as he blew out a tense breath.

Julie returned her phone back to her pocket, lower lip now visibly trembling. “Y-you guys were wrong-he-he can’t possibly-not if he-“

Steve stood up then, reaching out and clasping her shoulders in his large, warm hands in an attempt to steady her. “ _Hey_ now, pump the brakes there, sweetheart.”

She stopped talking, but her lower lip was still trembling and Steve was going to have none of it. “Tony is the biggest, most _stupid_ fucking _genius_ I have ever had the pleasure of meeting-“ He hissed through clenched teeth.

Julie blinked up at him, a few tears managing to escape and Steve’s gaze visibly softened as he brushed the backs of his knuckles against her cheek to wipe them away. “He is in _love_ with you, Julie. So damn in love and he’s absolutely _terrified_ of it-“

The young woman shook her head adamantly before she was pulling herself free of his grasp. “How can you _say_ such a thing!?” She shouted. “How can you _know_ _that?_ ”

Steve shook his head, exasperated and just so frustrated with the situation. “Because I _know_ Tony, because I know that when he gets too close, gets too comfortable, he _runs_. He’s afraid to tell you himself, we’ve been trying to get him to talk to you for _weeks_. We thought that maybe this trip would have been good for you both-“

“ _We?_ ” She asked incredulously.

Steve grimaced. “Everyone sort of knows? I mean, Bucky and I have been the ones trying to pry it out of him since day one-“

Julie’s face turned ashen then, her expression stricken. “Day _one?_ ”

Steve blinked and then realized there was no way to backpedal here. “He’s liked you for a very long time, Julie. He may have even loved you way back then too,” He admitted, gaze softening as he watched her. “He’s just not so great at expressing his feelings…as you can clearly see,” He sighed, gesturing vaguely towards her phone hiding away in her pocket.

“I-I don’t know what to do with all of that,” She whispered and she sounded so defeated, posture deflating and tears now falling freely to wet her cheeks.

Steve frowned, stepping towards her slowly in an attempt not to spook her. “I don’t think you need to do anything with it for the moment, honey. Maybe just let it settle in you. I need you to know that his leaving, it isn’t your fault, _okay?_ ”

She frowned, reaching up to swipe away some of her tears and Steve sighed, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and offering it to her. She stared at it looking completely baffled for a moment before she accepted the cloth and wiped at her eyes with a soft huff of a laugh escaping her.

“How can it not be, though? I mean-he left because I must have made him uncomfortable. Maybe I pushed him- _oh_ ** _God_** -I made him share the bed with me-that’s it-it _has_ to be-“ She started to ramble.

“ _Hold up-_ “ Steve said, raising a hand in the universal sign for _stop_.

She stared up at him and he blew out yet another strained breath. “You shared a bed with him-“ He said, careful to keep his tone very much neutral.

“Yeah, apparently there was some kind of mixup and they gave us a huge suite with just the one bed. He was going to take the couch, but I said he should just sleep in the damn bed, so he did- _oh-_ “ She gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth. “What if it was when I asked him to put sunscreen on my back?” She breathed, looking incredibly horrified with herself.

Steve closed his eyes and prayed for God to give him strength. “You two are like a walking-what was it, Natasha called it?- _oh,_ a walking _rom com_ ,” He muttered, shaking his head.

When he opened his eyes again, he was met with Julie’s slightly offended grimace. “Tell me I’m wrong,” He demanded and she only seemed to pout viciously at this.

“Thought so,” He muttered, rolling his eyes.

She huffed a little, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “This doesn’t change the fact that I _pushed_ him into doing those things-“  
“Tony Stark is a grown man, Julie. If he didn’t _want_ to share a bed with you or…put _lotion_ on you, then he would have said so and I don’t think he’d ever say no to either when it comes to you,” Steve interrupted with a heavy sigh.

Julie’s pout was still there, but she let his reasoning settle over her. “I still don’t know if I believe you,” She whispered and Steve’s little noise of frustration made her look up at him.

“Would I lie to you, Julie? Honestly lie to your face like this?” He asked her, looking hurt.

Julie immediately wished she could swallow back her words and she quickly took a step towards him, shaking her head. “No, Steve. You’re right. You would never lie to me, not, not about anything, _actually_. You’re a terrible liar according to Bucky and I feel like I’d be able to spot that sort of thing.”

Steve huffed, still feeling hurt, though he tried to shrug it off. “I’m sorry, Steve. I-I didn’t mean it, okay?” She apologized, reaching around his middle to give him a hug.

He sighed, visibly deflating as he hugged her back tightly. “I know, honey. I just-I want you to be happy and I want Tony to be happy and it’s really hard when you’re both fighting this so damn much.”

She frowned against his chest, cheek smushed against the bottom of his left pec. “I’m sorry, okay? I-I’ll not fight it anymore-I-I’ll tell him how I feel. I’ll make sure he knows when he comes back-“

Steve stilled for a brief moment before slowly drawing back and looking down at her. She was forced to look up at him then, blinking away the few remaining tears she’d had in her eyes. “You mean that?” He asked her carefully.

Julie’s lips parted as if to say yes right away, but she found she really needed to think this one out. Did she mean that? Did she want to tell him and put herself out there like that and risk losing Tony as not only her friend, but her mentor, her boss?

She blinked before nodding slowly. “I do mean that, Steve. I need him to know, I _want_ him to know how I feel. If-if he-“ She blew out a rough breath. “ _Rejects_ me, then I’ll deal with it, I guess. But if there’s a possibility that he _could_ love me…I need to _try_ , I need to really try. Because he’s _wonderful_ and I really want to be with him and love him openly…this whole-“ She grimaced, making a vague hand gesture. “ _Loving_ someone from afar business really fucking sucks,” She admitted.

Steve visibly relaxed, smiling encouragingly at her as he nodded. “I am so happy to hear you say that, Julie. You have no idea,” He whispered, scooping her up in his arms and giving her the biggest bear hug he could manage…you know, without actually breaking any bones.

 

So, that had been day one. And it wasn’t until day three that they realized they had a problem. Because Julie had taken to the lab and hadn’t come up for air. No one had really realized unfortunately, until late Wednesday evening when Julie didn’t make it to dinner. When they’d queried Jarvis of her whereabouts, he'd informed the Team that she was busy working away in the lab…and had been there since Monday afternoon, only having left to attend an event with her students and then promptly returned to the lab.

They’d all shared very pointed looks with one another before Steve took it upon himself to investigate. He’d found her busy at work, just as Jarvis had said. She’d been working on the arm, of course, and when he finally managed to get her to leave the lab to get some rest, it was far too late into the evening for his liking.

She’d barely slept for three hours before she was back at it in the workshop again and much to Steve and the others dismay, they didn’t figure it out until just after lunch when Bucky just happened to take a stroll downstairs when he’d gotten a… _feeling_. Call him crazy all you want, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up.

Sure enough, he’d found Julie sitting at the edge of the workshop in front of the Iron-Man armour in nothing but pyjamas and her glittery pink Uggs while she held The Cradle™ in her lap. She was staring up at the armour and murmuring something indecipherable and he vaguely wondered if she was talking to it or to Jarvis.

When he’d crouched down next to her to make sure she was alright, she had smiled at him so warmly and yeah she looked sleepy, but she had this near manic _sparkle_ in her eyes that he recognized all too well from seeing it reflected in Tony’s.

“I have a new idea, Bucky,” She confessed, gaze flickering from his face along his left shoulder. “But I’m going to need your arm.”

Bucky had just stared at her for a solid minute before he’d burst out laughing and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Alright, _that’s it_. You need to sleep. Like, _proper_ sleep,” He’d insisted.

She’d fought him of course, tried to squirm away and then he’d just given in and scooped her right up into his arms and hauled her off to her bedroom. She’d finally been put to bed and threatened with being denied access to the lab for at least 24 hours if she didn’t, so she’d given in and then promised to tell him all about her new idea that somehow was going to require his arm.

How that would work exactly, he didn’t know. But they’d figure it out soon enough, he imagined. Day five, six and seven had pretty well gone just about the same, though they’d had to start going through the ranks and trading off when it came to wrangling her off to bed or getting her to eat or drink anything other than _coffee_. Bucky and Peter seemed to have the most luck at that, whereas she flat-out refused whenever Clint tried, giving him this _look_ and he’d thrown up his hands in exasperation and went to tag someone else in.

Steve was still the best choice, however, always managing to get her to come along _fairly_ quietly while he’d also manage to get her to shower, eat and then he’d even go so far as to tuck her into bed; and then asked Jarvis to put her on lock-down for at least 8 hours. It didn’t always work, Julie was one of Jarvis’ favourites after all, but she’d done her best to actually sleep before she’d snuck back into the lab.

So, day eight arrived and she’d gotten a hold of Bucky’s arm like she’d asked and once again, she’d found herself back int he workshop until late into the evening on Monday still working away.

 

That same night, Tony slipped quietly from the backseat of his car, Happy having picked him up from the airport a little over forty minutes ago. His friend had tried to start a conversation with him, but Tony wasn’t about to repeat himself _again_ about how he was fine, everything was _fine_ and he really needed to get some sleep now, thank you.

Happy had let him go, noting his clipped words and tight lipped expression. He was obviously set firm in his resolve and clearly wouldn’t be swayed by him if Pepper and Rhodey hadn’t had any luck in the matter.

Tony slipped up into the elevator that would take him to the common floor before he could make it over to the private elevator that would take him up to the penthouse. He figured it was late enough that he wouldn’t run into anyone, so he’d forgone the long walk and instead gone for convenience. He should have walked.

Just as he’d set foot in front of the private elevator, the doors slid open and there stood…one very sleepy-eyed and bed-headed blond super-solider looking positively dead on his feet. Tony blinked in confusion, lips parting in surprise and then Steve had huffed, rolling his eyes before reaching out and pulling Tony inside the elevator by the lapels of his suit jacket none too gently.

He’d made a curiously affronted sound before Steve loosened his grip, but only _after_ the elevator doors had shut and they’d started their descent. “I’m glad you’re home,” Steve sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator.

“Good to see you too, Cap,” Tony muttered, righting himself and smoothing down his jacket.

Steve rolled his eyes and huffed, crossing his arms in front of his… _naked_ chest. “Uh-“ Tony said eloquently when he realized he was just in a pair of loose sleep pants and nothing else; not even _socks._

“What?” He asked, realizing Tony was giving him the once-over.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping? It’s like, 2am,” Tony blurted.

Steve blinked slowly at him and then chose to ignore him for a moment as they arrived at their apparent destination; the workshop. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Steve sighed, slipping past Tony, but not before he took up the genius’ elbow and pulled him along with him. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been getting much sleep this past week, not with the constant genius wrangling I’ve been doing-I swear, Stark. This is not what I signed up for,” He muttered disapprovingly.

Tony blinked in confusion, brows furrowing as he let himself be pulled out into the foyer in front of the lab. “What are you-“ Tony started to ask, completely at a loss as to what Steve was talking about.

But Steve only huffed, pulling Tony up to the floor to ceiling glass doors and then…made no move to open them? Tony’s brow furrowed deeper at that, gaze flickering past Steve’s terrifying _Captain’s Stance_ before letting his gaze settle on the dimly lit workshop.

It was still in nighttime setup, most of his machines and computers in sleep-mode. Even the bots were quiet and on standby in their stations. His gaze flickered around the lab curiously and it wasn’t until there was a slight movement over by the suit, that he realized what he was looking at. “ _Oh_ -“ He whispered and it came out on nothing more than a breath of air.

Julie was standing there. She was in the lab, just _standing_ there in front of the Iron-Man armour. He wasn’t prepared for that. Not in the slightest. He knew realistically that he’d have to see her. Of _course_ he’d have to see her and he was ready for that, really. But not like… _this._

She was standing there in front of the armour in nothing but a pair of pyjama shorts, a tank top and the robe Thor and Jane had gifted her for her birthday; that was now a beautiful pale blue and it looked so oddly-

Tony blinked as she reached up, the hem of her robe caught in her grasp as she held it up in front of her _against_ the same coloured blue of the Arc-Reactor casing in the Iron-Man suit. He blew out another breath, completely at a loss for a moment as he stared at the woman.

“I catch her talking to the armour a lot, you know. Every night since you’ve basically left, we’ve had to coerce her into leaving the lab. She’s been working non-stop on Bucky’s arm, you should really see what she’s done with it. It’s amazing,” Steve sighed. “But we’re all so tired of having to drag her out of here at all hours of the night and day. She really doesn’t know when to quit it, wonder where she got that from,” He murmured.

Tony didn’t say anything. He _couldn’t._ He was stuck, terrified and frozen in place. There was this remarkable woman-

He stopped himself, shaking his head slowly. “S-she’s been down here the whole time?”

Steve sighed. “She’s barely slept, barely remembers to eat unless one of us is sitting there shoving it at her. She only showers when Natasha tells her to. And let me tell you, having Nat come down here to get her to make a move, not something you ever want to see.”

“She is rather terrifying-“ Tony agreed absently.

“Exactly, so yeah, glad you’re home. Finally pulled your head out of your ass?” Steve asked, side-eyeing the genius.

Tony blinked, lips parting as if to speak, but then his gaze caught back on Julie as she lowered the hem of her robe and walked back over towards her workstation. The arm was clearly undergoing some kind of workup, actually, it looked like a paint job. Tony’s brow twitched when he saw Julie lean on her elbows on her desk as she watched the progress bar…which was at 12%. _Ooh, boy, she was going to be waiting a_ ** _while_.**

“I-“ Tony started, drawing in a ragged breath.

He couldn’t even find the words for this anymore. He’d rehearsed, so, _so_ many times before coming home. He’d _believed_ what he’d told himself. _Believed_ that he could do this. Could _not_ love her as more than a friend because it was what _needed_ to happen. But _this?_ _This_ he was not prepared for.

He watched as she shifted her hips, her long robe swaying slightly down by her ankles and he blinked, just looking at the colour of it. It was without a doubt, the same colour as the Arc-Reactor and he absently reached up to tap lightly over the casing hidden beneath his shirt. He’d heard what Jane had said about the robe, had asked Thor about it too when he’d learned that it had a protective property to it and this…this was just too much.

He swallowed hard, swallowed down the lies he wanted to spout and instead blew out a ragged breath through his nose. “Something like that,” He finally managed to get out after a minute or two.

Steve raised a brow skeptically before dropping his eyes and letting out a tired sigh. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to be a little more clear-“

“I’m-I pulled my head out of my ass, Steve. I think-I just-gimme’ a second-“ Tony hissed, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes before dragging them down his face, scratching at his goatee in frustration.

Steve waited- _patiently_ -for Tony to get his shit together, while still giving him the side-eye with no sign of letting up. But then Tony was nodding and Steve dropped his hands, turning to look at his friend seriously. “Okay,” Tony whispered. “ _Okay-_ “ He said, much more firmly a beat later.

Steve sighed deeply, realizing that Tony wasn’t going to elaborate and he really didn’t feel like prying it out of him right this second when he was just so bloody tired. He frowned, reaching up to place his palm to the data reader. He ignored Tony’s startled jerk forward as if to stop him and instead slipped into the lab as the doors slid smoothly open before them.

Julie didn’t notice their arrival right away and for that, Tony was at least grateful. He watched as Steve walked ahead of him and easy as anything, placed his hand against Julie’s bared shoulder where her robe had slid down. She didn’t startle, not really. Instead, she blinked curiously at the screen before tilting her head to the side to look up at him. And then she smiled, all shy and nervous.

“You caught me-“ She chuckled and Tony watched as Steve’s soft exasperated smile turned into pure fondness.

“I did catch you, honey. Now, are you going to make me drag you upstairs or are you going to let me carry you _without_ the struggle this time?” He sighed, but there was a teasing lilt to his voice.

Julie huffed tiredly, reaching up to rub at her eyes as she straightened. “I guess I could sleep.This is going to take too long as it is,” She sighed, turning and stretching her arms up to the blond.

“Thank _God-_ “ Steve muttered and Julie laughed lightly before she found herself squeaking in only _mild_ surprise as he lifted her bodily into her arms.

She smiled, nuzzling into the crook of his neck and sighing deeply as he readjusted his grip on her; one arm stretched under her thighs while his other reached up to press lightly at the back of her neck. Tony watched them, the easy way in which she folded into him and the careful way he held her, protecting her. He swallowed past the lump in his throat, wishing he could be the one to hold her like that…and never let go.

Steve turned then and Tony didn’t miss the way that as soon as Julie’s eyes were well away from the progress screen, Jarvis started displaying the _correct_ progress. It was nearly done, now sitting at 87%, but he’d obviously had the right idea.

“Come on, let’s put you to bed,” Steve murmured into her hair and started towards the elevator… _er,_ **_him._**

Tony blinked, backing up even further into the foyer towards the elevator. Maybe he wouldn’t have to-

But then Julie lifted her head, shifting in her perch and with hazy sleep-filled eyes, finally settled on him. She blinked slowly at first, eyes widening in surprise as she lifted her head a bit more. “ _Tony-_ “ She whispered. “You’re _home_.”

Tony’s lips parted, his own eyes widening in surprise at the obvious _relief_ he felt when she looked at him. She wasn’t angry with him. That was-that was great. He swallowed hard. “Y-yeah-“ He breathed. “Sorry about the late warning…couldn’t be helped-but it won’t happen again-“ He insisted, giving her a firm nod for good measure.

Her smile only grew at that and she shifted to better see him, drawing back from Steve a bit, but keeping her arms looped loosely around his neck. “that’s okay,” She conceded, smiling warmly at him as she seemed to look him over.

Tony nodded, apologetic smile still on his face as he let his own gaze sweep over her, but then he was just as quickly snapping his gaze back to hers. “I-is that my shirt?”

Julie blinked, looking down at herself and then back to Tony. “No, this one’s mine,” She stated, _obviously_.

Tony’s brows furrowed in confusion as he took in the sight of her wearing what looked to be an old vintage t-shirt of Iron-Man’s chest-plate, one that had gone out of production nearly three years ago. It even had the first reactor design and everything.

“I would have worn one of yours if I could have found one though. I tried looking for one a few days ago, actually-” She sighed. “Didn’t have any luck. Dummy always tidies up after you, you know?” She stops talking then and just stares at Tony with a happy, yet clearly sleepy smile and then blurts; “I missed you,” In the sweetest voice he thought he’d ever heard.

And Tony just broke apart. Before he realized it, his eyes were brimming with tears and he forced himself to smile and nod at her before managing to choke out; “I missed you too, Julie.”

She seemed pleased by this and nodded for a moment before she was suddenly gasping. “ _Oh!_ I almost forgot. I had this crazy idea for Bucky’s arm- _here-_ Steve, put me down real quick, this will just take a minute-“

“ _Nope-_ “ The blond huffed, tightening his grasp on her as she started to squirm. “You’re going to go up to bed and _sleep._ ”

She whined softly and Steve rolled his eyes, watching as Tony seemed to be at a loss for a moment or two. “Settle, Julie. You can tell him all about it in the morning, after you’ve gotten a decent night’s sleep,” Steve went on, starting towards the elevator.

“Definitely, I’ll even handle the coffees in the morning. How about that?” Tony offered, swallowing hard as he followed them.

Julie seemed to settle more at this as she folded back up against Steve’s form, head tucked against his neck and shoulder. “Okay, Tony. But I want a venti Caramel Brulè Latte with _extra_ sugary bits,” She informed him, yawning and curling up even more in Steve’s arms.

“Sure thing,” He murmured in response, glancing up in time to see that the elevator was arriving back at the workshop.

Both men were surprised when the doors opened and there stood an equally sleep rumpled looking Bucky. The brunet’s gaze flickered between the three of them, Julie already drifting and barely aware of his presence while Steve looked exasperated and Tony just looked confused. “Was wondering what was taking you so long,” Bucky huffed out gruffly.

Steve merely huffed, rolling his eyes before stepping into the elevator, Tony joining them. “Uh, hey Buckaroo,” Tony greeted softly.

Bucky’s gaze flitted back towards him as the elevator started its ascent. He didn’t return the greeting. “You smack him, yet?” He asked Steve instead.

Steve rolled his eyes once again. “Nah, not polite to do so in front of a lady.”

Tony blinked, completely baffled as he stared back and forth between the two. “Have you at least pulled your head out of your ass, Stark?” Bucky asked the genius instead.

Tony nodded without hesitating this time. “Yeah…something like that.”

Bucky nodded, eyeing the genius skeptically before the elevator dinged and they arrived at the communal floor. They all stepped out and Steve turned to Bucky, sighing tiredly. “Why don’t you take her up to bed and get her tucked in? I’ll-“ He grimaced. “ _Talk_ to Tony a bit more.”

Bucky nodded, shifting and Tony paled when he realized what he was looking at. “Sure, Stevie. Give her here,” He murmured, leaning forward and carefully settling his flesh and blood arm under Julie’s thighs as Steve helped get her situated…his metal arm entirely absent; some kind of scarf wrapped over his left shoulder and across his chest.

Tony’s lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out. Julie made a soft noise of content as she found herself curled in against Bucky, his longer hair tickling at her cheek as she nuzzled in against his throat. Bucky carefully readjusted his grip on her and murmured for her to hold on. He needn’t have asked though, her arms already wrapping around his neck.

“ _I’m_ _sorry-_ “ Tony finally managed to blurt, drawing Bucky and Steve’s gazes. “I-I’m sorry I wasn’t here for the surgery,” He whispered helplessly.

Bucky shifted where he stood. “Don’t worry about it. Wasn’t so bad.”

Tony shook his head. “I still should have been here, I’m so sorry Bucky.”

Bucky looked him over quietly for a beat before nodding slowly. “You should have been here, Stark. You’re right. But, you’re here now and that’s all that matters,” He said quietly.

Tony nodded slowly, gaze never leaving the brunet as he held Julie so carefully, but then she was huffing and shifting ever so slightly in his grasp, her right hand coming down to grasp lightly at his shoulder hidden beneath the cloth. Bucky’s face pinched up for the briefest of moments before his expression seemed to crumble as he tipped his face down towards her.

He made a little wounded noise, but it wasn’t from pain. “Hush, Bucky,” She murmured. “I told you to let Steve or I give you a massage. It’ll help with softening some of the scar tissue before The Cradle™ is attached.”

Bucky blinked and Tony realized he had tears in his grey-blue eyes. “I know, doll. Sorry,” He whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse.

She shrugged gently and then kissed at his shoulder lightly, as a mother would kiss her child’s boo-boo. “Come on, take me up to bed. I’m tired,” She sighed, hand still lightly massing at his shoulder.

Bucky’s throat clicked as he nodded, avoiding Tony’s gaze and barely managing not to look at Steve as he started down the hallway towards her rooms. Just as he passed Steve, he whispered; “Don’t take too long yellin’ at ‘im. I need a good cuddle.”

Steve had nodded, brushing a kiss to his lover’s forehead and sweeping a comforting hand against his lower back as he passed. “Of course, Buck,” He murmured, watching his lover slip off down the hall.

The moment they were left alone, Tony crumbled. “I meant it, Steve. I’m going to tell her. I can’t-I thought I could do this, I thought I could just be her friend but I was so, _so_ wrong. I need to tell her, I _have_ to.”

Steve nodded, gaze still trailing after the pair, well after they’d left his sight. “I hope you mean that, Stark,” He murmured, slowly returning his gaze back to the genius.

“A word of advice?” The blond sighed, waiting for Tony to nod before continuing. “Most people only get one life. Buck and I-we were fortunate to have a second chance at ours, even if it hurt a hell of a lot getting here. Just-do me a favour and don’t dwell for too long on this. You’ve got this life and it could be so much better with her by your side, _okay?_ ”

Tony nodded, gaze filled with understanding. He wouldn’t waste it, he wouldn’t let them down. He wouldn’t let himself _or_ Julie down. He needed to love her and he needed her to know that she was loved. “Okay, buddy,” He whispered. “Okay.”

Steve nodded, hoping beyond all hope the he’d _finally_ reached the man. “Don’t wait too long or you might sincerely regret it.”

“I won’t,” He promised and he really did mean that.

Steve nodded tiredly, letting out a sigh. “Go get some sleep. I’ll skip my run in the morning and we can all have a nice breakfast together. I know the Team’s missed you.”

Tony swallowed. “Sure, that sounds nice.”

Steve nodded, drawing away with a tired sigh. “See you in the morning.”

Tony stood there for a beat, watching Steve start to walk away. “Thank you, Steve. I missed you all too.”

The blond smiled, his lips twitching. “G’night, Tony.”

“Night, Steve,” He whispered, gaze falling to the floor.

He wouldn’t wait, not if he could help it. He _couldn’t_ wait to tell her.


	19. Nineteen

“Is it a flamethrower? _Please_ tell me it’s not a flamethrower-“ Bucky absolutely did not whine, settling into the hospital bed they’d managed to commandeer for the day.

Julie batted her pretty long eyelashes at him as she gave him her most innocent look. He wasn’t fooled for a second. “ _James-_ “ She breathed, rolling up the sleeves of her dark red shirt, sounding for all the world as if she was actually deeply scandalized. “I would _never_ put something in your arm that you _really_ didn’t want. Don’t you know me better than that?” She asked, mock hurt in her voice.

Bucky’s mouth clicked shut, but then he was just as soon narrowing his grey-blue eyes at her. “You think you’re so sneaky-“ He muttered, shaking his head. “How would you know what I _really_ didn’t want?”

She shrugged, tamping down on what Bucky assumed would be a shit-eating grin as she turned away from him and pretended to busy herself at one of the workbenches nearby. She’d actually pestered him at length about what he would absolutely not want in the arm a few days prior. “I’m sure I could venture a few guesses,” She said playfully. “Besides, if _you_ keep guessing, you really are going to ruin the surprise.”

Bucky sighed, not actually wanting to ruin anything and instead relaxed back into the comfy bed, glancing over as Steve came to stand beside him, drawing over a rolling stool and the IV pole. “She’s right, Buck. Wouldn’t want to do that, now would we?” He teased, his eyes practically twinkling with mischief.

“ _Goddammit-_ “ Bucky huffed. “Even _you_ know what the surprise is, don’t you?” Bucky accused.

Steve laughed and shook his head. “I really don’t want to ruin it, sweetheart. Just be patient, I’m sure you’re going to love it,” He assured, gently clasping his hand over Bucky’s right shoulder; letting the warmth of him settle into his lover’s skin.

Bucky relaxed, but only marginally. Steve had noticed the tense lines around his eyes, the way his shoulders seemed a little higher up around his ears. He was clearly more nervous than he was trying to let on and Steve was sure all the questions were being made in an attempt to distract them from it.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop trying to get you to spill,” He conceded, glancing over at Tony as the genius rolled himself over on a stool, dragging a small table littered with tools along with him.

Bucky took a deep breath and Tony smiled at him sympathetically. “It won’t take long and it’ll be little to no pain at all. Just three quick needles. One to get you on an IV, one for the numbing agent and one more to administer the nannites. Then we’ll wait a bit for them to adhere and Julie will work her magic, alright?” Tony consoled.

Bucky nodded tersely, gaze straying from where the needles were sitting next to them to settle on Julie as she busied herself around the lab, gathering up a few more things. He couldn’t see his new arm anywhere and he actually hadn’t seen it in two days. Hence the extra questions and you know, general overall worrying.

Julie popped in behind one of Tony’s workbenches and lifted up a box she’d stashed away, smiling warmly as she dragged it out and over to them. Bucky eyed it warily. There were already enough surprises at is was, he wasn’t sure how he felt about one more. “What’s in the box?” He queried, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

It didn’t work so well.

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Would you stop sounding so suspicious. I’m not going to spring anything on you, it’s just a blanket,” She sighed, reaching in and pulling out a rather luxurious looking throw.

It was a dark grey-blue that looked incredibly soft. Bucky hoped it was as soft as it looked. He tried not to look too excited as she pulled it into her arms and shook it out before walking it over to him. The blanket was long and skimmed the floor a bit as she walked and Bucky smiled fondly as she tried to bundle it up more before she unceremoniously threw it over his head when she got close enough.

He laughed, dragging it off his face a bit and settling it around his middle instead. She was smiling at him dopily as she helped him readjust it so that he was covered properly. He was just wearing grey sweatpants and a black tank top, the scarf she’d leant him still wrapped around his left shoulder, obscuring the joint, but he knew the blanket would be a nice warmth in the coolness of the lab.

Steve sat down on his right, smiling at the pair as Tony pulled over a second stool for Julie, but apparently she wasn’t ready to sit just yet. Bucky blinked in surprise as he suddenly had an eye-full of Julie’s chest. Granted, she was wearing a shirt, but the shirt was stupidly tight and well, he almost snickered when he realized it had a Spider-Man logo on the front. He’d somehow completely missed that. He quickly averted his gaze as she stretched over his head further, however, and-and… _fluffed_ his goddamn pillow.

“Uh-“ Bucky said, rather eloquently as she readjusted it for him before pulling back and smiling happily at him.

“ _Comfy?_ ” She asked, eyes shining with genuine concern as she finally took a seat at his left next to Tony.

Bucky looked from her to Steve, giving him a very unimpressed look. “You’d better be takin’ notes.”

Steve barked out a surprised laugh, muffling it against his shoulder as he smiled affectionately at the pair. Julie looked downright pleased with herself as she turned to look at Tony, gesturing to him to bring over the needles. Tony looked a little awestruck as he passed her the numbing agent and then passed Steve the IV needle he was going to need, the blond already having wheeled the IV pole over.

“Are you ready, Bucky?” She asked him, all seriousness in her tone as she finally took her seat.

Bucky blinked at her before blowing out a slow breath and nodding. “Y-yeah, ‘m ready.”

She smiled at him, reaching out and placing a reassuring hand against his covered shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. “If at any point you’re not feeling good in _any_ way whatsoever, you need to say so. We’ll stop and take a break, I’ve got snacks and stuff for you, water and juice too, so just say the word, _okay?_ ”

Bucky blinked owlishly at her. “You have _snacks_ for me?” He asked disbelievingly.

Julie smiled fondly at him. “Of course I do. I made banana bread this morning for you.”

“With chocolate chips?” Bucky asked hopefully, knowing full well that Steve and Tony were rolling their eyes at him and not caring in the slightest.

Julie chuckled softly and nodded. “It wouldn’t be very good banana bread if there weren’t any chocolate chips in it, now would it?”

Bucky’s eyes went so wide then. “You are amazing. I want to marry you-“

Julie burst out laughing, her cheeks heating as she glanced at Steve who was grinning like an idiot and tried to avoid Tony’s happy smile in the process; Steve’s was bad enough. “Uh huh, I’m sure you say that to anyone who makes you sweets,” She teased.

Bucky laughed lightly, looking sheepish as he glanced at first Tony and then Steve. “You caught me-“

She laughed lightly, rolling her eyes, but then she was gesturing to Steve who now had the needle in hand. “Alright, down to business. Steve, you’re going to give Bucky his first needle and once we’ve got you all hooked up and Jarvis has your vitals up, I’ll go ahead and administer the numbing shot,” She explained.

Bucky nodded in understanding, watching as the blond lifted his right hand and placed a kiss over his knuckles. Bucky couldn’t help smiling as he felt Steve’s equally as sappy smile press against his skin. Tony’s audible, _‘aww’_ reaching their ears and making Steve’s cheeks heat adorably.

“Oh, wait-forgot something,” Julie sighed, plucking at the hem of Bucky’s tank-top. “Shirt off, mister.”

Bucky chuckled nervously but drew his hand out of Steve’s grasp before sitting up slightly and tugging at the back of his collar, pulling it off and over his head. Steve took it from him and put it aside and then helped him get situated once more.

Julie whistled, gaze flickering over his frame. “You are _ripped~_ ” She singsonged and Bucky laughed, shaking his head at her as he lay back, subconsciously covering himself up with the blanket.

She chuckled at him, poking him in the ribs and making him squirm. “I’m only teasing-“ She chided.

He smirked at her, shaking his head. “I know, doll,” He murmured, gaze flickering over to Tony who was smiling fondly, gaze firmly fixed on Julie.

He obviously didn’t care that she was paying Bucky a little more attention and now that Bucky thought about it, he realized that she was probably just trying to make him more comfortable, to get him to relax. It had worked, actually. He hadn’t even realized.

He smiled at her warmly and then felt Steve pick up his hand again. He purposefully didn’t look at what his lover was doing and tried to relax as much as his body would let him as Steve then asked him to take a deep breath in. It was just a needle and he was about to snark at Steve but then he felt the prick against the back of his hand and he let out a shaky breath instead.

He could feel Julie patting him lightly against his left shoulder, murmuring praise, even Steve’s voice reached him, the bit of praise making him feel warm all over. “‘M good,” He breathed, blinking a bit quicker as he glanced over at Steve who was now looking at him with gentle concern.

“That was great, Bucky,” Julie murmured, her voice soothing as she continued to caress his shoulder over the scarf. “Think you’re ready for the numbing agent?”

He nodded, taking a couple more breaths as Steve started paying more attention to the IV pole and the tablet beside him with all of his vitals displayed thanks to Jarvis’ assistance. “Yeah, I’m ready. Go ahead.”

Julie smiled and nodded, untying the scarf from his shoulder. He lifted slightly to let her pull the scarf free entirely and then she passed it across to Steve who set it aside. “This one might pinch a bit more,” She confessed, her small, yet incredibly warm hand skating over what was left of his marred shoulder.

He shuddered hard at the touch, eyes closing and her hand immediately stilled. “Check in with me, how are you doing?” She asked, voice still level and so, so soothing.

“‘M good,” He muttered, shuddering again as her thumb swept over the mottled flesh.

The entire shoulder was scarred, pockmarked and disfigured. He didn’t want to look at it, let alone have her look at it. He could barely stand to look at it the last few days, hence why he’d kept the scarf over it. That and it was incredibly sensitive. The skin was so thin, the scar tissue only making it difficult to feel in certain spots and then giving him almost too much feeling in others.

“You sure?” She probed gently.

Bucky nodded. “Skin’s just…it’s real sensitive. Feels a bit too much, sometimes, is all,” He managed to stutter out.

Julie hummed in understanding and then she was withdrawing her hand and picking up a swab to clean the area. “Deep breath in-“ She directed a moment later and Bucky did just that, letting it out all in a rush as the next needle pierced his skin.

He hissed slightly when she withdrew it and before Steve could ask if he was alright, Julie was leaning over him and asking the same question. “‘M _fine_ ,” Bucky half-chuckled, half choked. “ _Honest._ ”

Julie didn’t look entirely convinced, but sat back down, glancing over to see Steve rubbing reassuring circles against Bucky’s bicep. She hummed again and reached over to pick up the antibacterial lotion bottle she’d brought along with her, putting a few dollops into the palm of her hand before tentatively poking Bucky’s shoulder.

“Feel that?” She asked, watching Bucky for confirmation.

Bucky shook his head, glancing down at his shoulder and then promptly grimacing and looking away. “Nope.”

Julie frowned slightly at his reaction, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she started spreading the lotion around his shoulder socket. The scars felt very different under her hands and she tried her best not to jostle him too much, but she needed the skin to be soft and hydrated before she did anything else. Bucky kept his gaze averted, watching Steve’s hand curling around his bicep instead.

“ _Hey-_ “ Tony said quietly, the first thing he’d said in a while and Bucky glanced over at him only to smile lopsidedly at his friend. “Hungry?”

He was holding a juice-box and a plate with a bunch of slices of banana bread on it out to him. Bucky chuckled and gave him a watery smile as Steve helped him sip from first the juice-box and proceeded to feed him bits of banana bread. He only barely resisted the urge to lick the chocolate from Steve’s fingers, not wanting to appear _too_ indecent in front of company.

“Awesome,” Julie said as she rolled away slightly from Bucky’s shoulder and motioned to Tony. “Your go,” She said, smiling.

Tony smiled back easily before rolling himself over to her place and taking up the next needle. “How’s the banana bread?”

“So good,” Bucky admitted, barely stifling a moan as he let Steve feed him another bite.

Tony snickered and nodded, very carefully poking Bucky with the third needle. Bucky didn’t even notice, much to their relief and Tony capped and tossed the empty needle aside before pulling up a tablet and checking out the nannites progress.

“About three-minutes and then we’ll be ready for you, Julie,” Tony instructed and Julie nodded, leaning against Bucky’s bed, blanket caught under her arms as she stole a bite of banana bread.

He smiled fondly before looking a bit startled as she held out a piece for him to take. He seriously contemplated eating it right from her fingertips but instead reached out to take it for himself. She smiled at him and watched him eat it before swiping another piece and then offering everyone more juice-boxes.

They waited a couple of extra minutes, happy that Bucky seemed relaxed enough to enjoy his bread and juice and before long, Jarvis was pinging Tony on the tablet to display the progress they’d made. “Well,” Tony said, a clear smile in his voice that drew Bucky’s attention.

“We’re good to go,” He explained, giving them the thumbs up.

Bucky smiled nervously as he glanced over at Julie who was biting her bottom lip, practically chewing through it with nerves. But then she nodded, a firm resolve settling over her as she bent down and pulled out a box that housed The Cradle™.Bucky blew out a breath as he watched her put on a pair of gloves and then unlock the air-tight box. She very carefully lifted the contraption from its casing and Tony slid back away from his shoulder, letting Julie take his place.

“So,” She murmured, looking up at Bucky who now had his full attention on her. “Are you ready?”

He smiled, calm and reassuring as he nodded at her. “Are you?”

She bit her lower lip hard and nodded, practically clutching at the invention she’d spent so long perfecting. “It shouldn’t hurt,” She whispered. “Not one bit. So just _tell-_ “

“It won’t hurt,” Bucky said firmly, reaching out very carefully with his right hand, mindful of the IV as he cupped her cheek.

“It won’t hurt-“ She repeated, his hand falling from her cheek to settle back at his side.

She took a deep breath before her gaze was settling upon his shoulder where the nannites were doing some pretty interesting things. She smirked, impressed and so sure and _determined_ more than ever to make this perfect for Bucky.

“Okay,” She whispered and nodded to herself once more and then shifted in closer, settling The Cradle™ against his scarred flesh.

Bucky couldn’t help himself. He looked.

As soon as the almost silicone looking device braced itself against his flesh, the nannites reacted, reaching out for the device. Bucky’s eyes widened as he watched them transform against The Cradle™ and soon it was flush agains this skin, settled there like the softest pillow. He blinked, staring down at it in absolute wonder.

When he finally managed to look up at the wonderful woman in front of him, he wished he had watched her all along. Her cheeks were flushed, a manic twinkle in her bright blue eyes and she looked absolutely thrilled. “This is amazing, this is _so_ amazing-“ She breathed, eyes impossibly wide.

Bucky couldn’t help it. He laughed.

Julie was positively beaming at him as she clapped her hands together and then ripped off the gloves when she didn’t get the _smack_ she wanted to hear. Bucky was still laughing, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Steve and Tony were grinning at them like loons and Julie just looked so _happy_. “ _Wow_ -I-I just never-“ Julie tried, giggling and trying to calm her frantically beating heart.

Bucky’s gaze softened in understanding as her eyes swept towards Tony. “Thank you so much for getting me here,” She breathed, reaching out and grasping Tony’s shoulders so hard he thought she might leave bruises.

Tony swallowed hard, shaking his head. “You got yourself here, Julie. I just gave you the tools.”

She shook her head, seemingly at a loss for words for a moment. Tony was going to pat her hand and be done with it, but she was staring at him with those beautiful eyes and he wanted, he just _wanted_ so damn much. She was smiling so bright and beautiful at him and his lips parted, the words were on the tip of his tongue-

She suddenly flung herself at him, both nearly losing their balance on their little rolly-stools as she hugged him so tight. She was practically in his lap as she threw her arms around his neck, holding on tight. Tony wrapped his arms securely around her middle just holding her to him, his eyes drifting shut as he felt the warmth of her slender frame pressing against him. He never wanted to let her go.

He inhaled shakily as she started to pull back and when they were caught up in each others gazes once more, he watched as her lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out. They stayed like that for entirely too long for it to have been considered just friendly and Bucky’s slight cough was what finally drew them apart; Julie shifting back and dropping heavily onto her stool. She gave Bucky a sheepish smile, hand flying to the back of her neck to rub at the reddening skin. Her cheeks were a delightful shade of pink now too.

Tony swallowed, still stuck staring at her, apparently. “Can I have my arm now?” Bucky asked excitedly. “Pretty please?”

Julie huffed nervously, glancing over at Steve and then studiously avoiding his happy and knowing grin as she nodded and reached underneath the bed Bucky was laying on. Bucky tried to sit up to see better, but Steve calmly held him back down. “Just relax, Buck. We’re getting there,” Steve chuckled.

Bucky huffed, but did as he was told, neck straining as he tried to see what Julie was doing. She pulled out a long black box and Tony helped her with it. It did look pretty heavy. He watched as both Tony and Julie placed their thumbs against a data reader on the outside of the box and then Tony murmured, “Kiss my shiny metal-“ and the box unlocked with an audible set of clicks.

Bucky grinned, watching eagerly as Tony held back the lid as Julie reached in and lifted out-

Bucky’s jaw went slack, his eyes so round and disbelieving as he watched the young woman carry his metal arm towards him. His _matte black_ metal arm. His throat clicked and there were just no words. _None._ At _all._

“Y-you-“ Bucky stuttered, voice so hoarse it didn’t sound human; as if it were being strangled out of him.

Julie smiled shyly at him, taking the few steps over to him, his new arm still cradled protectively in her arms. “I recalled seeing a couple of your bikes and I remembered the matte finishings,” She explained. “You’ve always liked black metal for them, which is sort of why I decided to go with black in the first place, but then I recalled lots of videos of you on your bike with all those awesome matte black details in your outfits too and I just-“ She shrugged, managing to blow a few loose strands of her long blonde hair out of her face as she huffed in the process.

“Thought you might like it,” She confessed in an entirely too small voice.

Bucky was at a loss. He just-there were absolutely _zero_ words that he could form right now. He couldn’t speak, _at all._ And as she continued to stare at him, waiting for his approval, he assumed, he shook his head and watched as her face fell and immediately he was reaching out to her with his good arm, not mindful in the slightest of the IV cord. At least Steve was.

He grabbed her around the middle and yanked her towards him, his new arm pressed tight between them. She breathed out in surprise as he hugged her fiercely around her middle-though not super-soldier tight, of course-and just held on. The arm was held in place by their bodies for a moment, so she loosened her grip with one hand and reached up to card her fingers through his hair, smiling in relief.

“ _Thank you-_ “ He finally managed to choke out, words heavy and thick in his mouth, filled with appreciation and a thankfulness that ran bone deep.

Julie nodded, barely trusting her own voice for a moment or three before murmuring, “You’re very welcome.”

They stayed like that for a few more moments before Julie started to pull herself back, careful to readjust her grip on his new arm before they disentangled completely. Bucky was staring down at the sleek black metal all _matte_ and _gorgeous_ in her grasp. “I’m glad you like it,” She whispered.

“ _Like it?_ ” Bucky blurted, gaze shifting up to look at her face; there were tears in his eyes. “I _love_ it.”

She smiled at him, though it was a bit wobbly, relief visibly washing over her. “Good, so I guess we can put it on now-“

“ _Yes, please-_ “ He breathed excitedly, laying back and exposing his shoulder to her eagerly.

Steve and Tony laughed lightly under their breaths and Julie grinned at him happily before motioning Tony in closer. “I’ll just need you to hold it steady for me while I attach it,” She told him, watching as Tony took proper hold of the arm and rolled in closer.

“No problem,” He agreed, watching as she shifted and pulled out a small jeweller’s screwdriver, ready for action.

She beamed at him, her cheeks still flushed as she opened up a few of the panels on the shoulder to expose some wiring. Bucky was practically vibrating on the bed, excited more than ever for this to finally happen. Julie huffed, attention completely focused on the wiring she was working on, but even she could feel the excitement practically radiating from him.

“Hold still-“ She admonished and Bucky made a strangled noise that had Steve biting back laughter and Tony snickering at her side.

“Is it in? Is it working? Are you done?” He inquired, antsy and excited and entirely too adorable for his own good.

Julie was grinning as she clicked a panel into place, shaking her head as she worked. “That’s what she said-“

Bucky grinned, trying wholeheartedly to calm his racing heart and not let out the absolute gut wrenching laughter he wanted to spout. “You are _awesome-_ “ Bucky admitted, glancing pointedly at Tony. “She is awesome,” He pointed out.

Tony grinned, laughing lightly as he nodded. “I’m well aware.”

Julie’s cheeks flushed at that and Bucky couldn’t help smiling widely and then there was an audible click and Bucky’s body jerked. He stilled, feeling like he’d just gotten a bit of a jolt and then promptly let out all the air he’d unintentionally been withholding.

“Okay?” Julie asked worried, hands now hovering in his field of vision.

He nodded, albeit uncertainly. “I think so?”

She breathed out a sigh of relief, practically doubling over. “Oh, thank God,” She wheezed. “I accidentally activated it, I meant to warn you there’d be a weird-“

“It’s all tingly-“ Bucky giggled.

Like, _actually_ giggled. Julie grinned wryly at him as she braced her hands on her knees, still bent slightly as she regarded him. Bucky and Tony were quiet as they watched the brunet work through his giggles, huge smiles on their faces all the while. Bucky managed to get himself under control, shaking his head as he breathed in deeply a couple of times.

“Well, then. I’m glad it was only _tingly_ ,” Julie muttered. “Tony was a bit worried you might uh…you know what, never mind.”

Tony was grinning behind his hand as he watched the pair and Julie tried not to roll her eyes as she turned her attention back to Bucky. “So, how do you feel? Do-can you-do you feel alright?” Julie asked nervously.

Bucky blinked, settled now that he wasn’t laughing hysterically. But he was still jittery with excitement and probably nerves too, if he was being completely honest. Bucky smiled warmly at her. “I feel pretty great, actually. Think the numbing stuff’s worn off and I can feel this like-“ He shook his head, licking his lips as he flexed suddenly.

Julie’s gaze flickered towards his shoulder immediately and she grinned when the metal started whirring and a sort of giddy glee came over her, much to Bucky’s delight. Bucky grinned, flexing again and then his arm was really whirring, the mechanics shifting beneath the exterior exoskeleton and then the panels clicking as they all settled into place; one after the other.

“Oh my God-“ She whispered, eyes tracking the movement of the panels, Bucky’s eyes now following the sleek lines of metal as they shifted and locked into place.

Tony’s hand suddenly fell to Julie’s shoulder, squeezing it firmly. “Well done,” He murmured behind her and her eyes positively lit up as she gazed ahead at Bucky and just…how _happy_ he looked.

Steve was now sitting on the edge of the bed, arm wrapped around Bucky’s right shoulder as he drew his lover into a hug. “How is it, Buck?” Steve asked him, brushing a kiss against his temple.

Bucky shook his head, flesh and blood hand clasping at Steve’s shirt as he held him close, his new metal hand slipping up to cup the side of the blond’s neck in such a gentle move it had Julie’s breath catching; as well as Steve’s.

Julie stood there, completely at a loss as she watched the pair. She could feel Tony’s reassuring warmth at her back and his kind words, but she couldn’t focus on it, too distracted by the fact that everything had gone so smoothly. Bucky had his new arm. He didn’t look like he was in pain. He hadn’t said he was in any pain, either. He looked so happy, so relieved.

Julie shook her head, slipping out from under Tony’s hand as she reached for her StarkPad on one of the tables nearby. Her head was swimming. Tony’s gaze followed her as she started tapping on the screen, pulling up the diagnostic program so that she could get some feedback on how the arm was doing. She was attempting to distract herself and they both knew it.

He glanced towards Steve and Bucky, who were now pulling away from one another, gazes flitting over to where Julie was studiously avoiding their gazes as she busied herself on her tablet. “Doll?” Bucky murmured, reaching out to her as he shifted, feet coming to settle on the floor.

Julie hummed, not looking up as she continued tapping away on her StarkPad. “Just running some quick tests,” She murmured, not really paying attention.

Bucky rolled his eyes, giving Tony a _look_ before he was grasping her elbow with his metal hand. She stilled instantly, looking down at where his fingers curled gently around her bared skin. She smiled warmly, but didn’t look up at him. “The tests can wait, don’t you think?” Bucky asked her gently.

She nodded hesitantly after a beat, lowering the tablet and Bucky tentatively took it from her, setting it aside. She still wasn’t looking at him though and he really wanted to change that. So he let his metal hand slip up her arm and clasp the side of her neck. “ _Hey-_ “ He murmured.

Julie swallowed, gaze slowly dragging up to meet his. He smiled at her, incredibly grateful to have such an incredible woman in his life. “Thank you so much, honey. You don’t know how much this means to me…I-there is _zero_ pain in this. It doesn’t ache at all, it’s-it’s _comfortable_ ,” He explained, a giddy laugh escaping him.

Julie’s face did a…well, it did a _thing_. And Bucky was hard-pressed not to grin dopily at her. Her lips curved up into the sweetest smile, relief flooding her features as she nodded. “That’s all I wanted for you, Bucky,” She murmured softly and Bucky bit his lower lip to stop himself from outright _sobbing_ at that.

And then an alarm was blaring-albeit, more quietly than their typical Avenger’s call to Assemble-and Julie blinked owlishly at him before jerking her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of her cellphone. “Aaand that would be my phone…” She trailed off, chuckling in embarrassment as she made a vague gesture towards it. “I should-“ She cleared her throat. “Really get that. It only rings if it’s an emergency-“ She explained, Bucky letting her go.

He was smiling at her fondly, they all were, really, as she picked up her phone and answered the call. “This better be a real emergency, Sonia,” She threatened and squinted hard as she listened to the woman’s response.

 _“Don’t you check your messages?! This is DEFCON Five!”_ Sonia shouted on the other end and Julie rolled her eyes in exasperation before setting the phone on speaker so she could look through her messages, of which, there were seventeen texts, three voicemails and two emails.

She grimaced. “I think you mean DEFCON One. Five is really just normal readiness for you know, a nuclear attack and such.”

_“I-“ Sonia choked. “Okay fine, get technical with me, it’s still DEFCON worthy.”_

Julie chuckled softly and shook her head, scrolling through her texts from Diana and Olivia…and Sarah, brow furrowing in worry as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the guys who were watching her curiously, slight amusement warring in their gazes.

“Alright…” She said slowly. “What’s the emergency…?  
She sort of dreaded the answer. Sonia didn’t just call her out of the blue very often. Actually, come to think of it, the last time she’d spoken to the woman had been the afterparty of her very last public performance with her company at The Royal…which was, well, it was a while ago.

_“Beth and Samantha are both down with the flu-Bailey, you know I wouldn’t call you like this if it wasn’t an emergency. I know why you left and I respect the hell out of you for it, but I’m coming up empty here. I need you-“ She said desperately._

Julie made a face, walls crumbling at the plea in the woman’s voice. They had been really good friends not long ago, but with her leaving the company, it’d been hard to keep in touch as much as they’d like, but she liked the woman, cared about her and wouldn’t wish any ill-fate upon her. Not having a lead dancer, well, that was an ill-fate of sorts.

“You need me-“ She said gently, unable to voice the rest of that sentence before the woman cut her off.

_“I have no one for tonight’s performance and you know Clara’s routine like it’s nothing, Bailey. Please, just-just this once and I’ll never bother you again. I sw-“_

“ _Don’t_ finish that sentence,” Julie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to think clearly.

There was a slight huff on the other end of the line, but otherwise, Sonia didn’t say anything for a moment or three. “So-“ Julie breathed and then sighed. “What time is the performance?”

Sonia breathed out deeply on the other end. _“Eight o-clock.”_

She didn’t say anything more and Julie glanced over at Tony who was smiling at her sort of lopsided as he gestured to the hologram clock Jarvis brought up between them. It was displaying 3pm. “That…doesn’t exactly give me a lot of time to get ready and get over there-“ She sighed, letting her phone angle precariously between her fingers as she looked between the three men smiling and listening to her.

Sonia practically squeaked on the other end of the line. _“So you’ll do it!?”_

Julie rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’ll do it, but I can’t get there until probably six-“

Sonia gasped. _“That’s much too late. Can’t you get here by four? We really do need for you to warm up and we need to make sure your wardrobe still fits-“_

Julie’s brows furrowed. “I thought you donated all that?”

Sonia scoffed. _“I could never. I’ve been holding on to it in case of emergencies.”_

“Of course you have,” Julie muttered with a shake of her head and then she chuckled. “Well, I hope you’ve got Helen on hand, I’m going to need her to let out some seams I imagine-“

_“Juliet Bailey O’Donnell-if you’ve gained weight while you’ve been-“_

“Excuse you!” Julie laughed, face flushing. “I can eat whatever I damn-well please-“

Sonia scoffed. _“While that may be true, you’d better still fit into your blue dress at least, we really can’t mend that one much as it stands-“_

Julie rolled her eyes, huffing slightly. “I’ll fit into that one at the very least and I-let me see if I can get there any earlier than five. I don’t know if four’s going to happen-“ She sighed, glancing over at Tony and the others.

But then the genius was clearing his throat slightly and Julie tried to cover the phone a bit so Sonia wouldn’t hear. “I can have Happy drive you, pick you up too when you’re done, if you like? I know he could get you there in time to get ready for your performance.”

Julie swallowed, glancing back and forth between Tony and then Steve and Bucky, gaze lingering on Bucky’s arm before meeting his reassuring gaze. “You should go, doll. If Tony says Happy can get you there and bring you back, I’m sure we’ll be alright to figure out the rest of this on our own,” He reassured, smiling as Steve rubbed his lower back.

“We’ll test out the arm and be sure to report back as soon as you’re home,” Steve agreed and Julie smiled warmly at them.

“Y-yeah, okay. Maybe I’ll take that ride then, Mr. Stark-“ She smiled and then promptly grimaced when Sonia started _squealing_ on the other line, forcing her to take her off speaker and press the phone to her ear, face flushing.

She rolled her eyes as she listened to the woman screeching in her ear about _Mr. Stark_ this and _Mr. Stark_ that. She grinned, snickering into the phone as she gathered up her bag and started towards the door. She seemed to think better of her hasty exit, however, and darted back over to the three men, throwing her arm around Bucky for a fierce hug while she continued to listen to Sonia chattering in her ear. The brunet chuckled as he hugged her back with _both_ arms, watching as she ran the back of her fingertips along the new metal as she pulled away.

She was bitting her lower lip as her gaze flickered over Bucky’s shoulder to meet Steve’s warm gaze. She mouthed, ‘keep an eye on him and don’t let him try anything too strenuous until I get back.’

Steve chuckled softly and nodded, crossing his heart. But then Julie was grinning as she stepped back, casting Tony a look as she spoke into the phone. “ _Oh_ , by the way-“ She grinned, taking a few backwards steps towards the lab doors, elevator doors open and waiting behind her. “I might as well warn you ahead of time, Son, but I’ve got tan-lines-“

She barely managed to stifle a laugh at the woman’s undignified squeaking on the other end and then she was pulling the phone away from her ear and pressing it to her chest as she let the laughter out. Tony was grinning at her widely as she stepped into the elevator. “I’ll see you guys later!” She called, laughter in her voice and then she was giving them a sloppy salute and winking at Bucky cheekily…in particular?

Bucky rolled his eyes and then he too was giving her a salute…albeit, it was far less sloppy…with his _metal hand_. And then it was as if all the pieces were slotting into place for the genius. Realization dawned on his features just as Julie’s nearly manic laughter reached their ears and Bucky’s curious gaze morphed slowly into resigned acceptance over the fact that Julie had one-upped him…as the first cries of _The Immigrant Song_ pierced the air…coming from his _arm_.

Tony was cackling madly by his side and Bucky could only grin, rolling his eyes as he waved at Julie, Steve practically giggling behind him as the arm continued to belt out the song at an ungodly volume. “Sorry-not sorry!” She yelled from the _relative_ safety of the elevator as the doors slid shut and it started its ascent.

Once Bucky managed to get the song to stop playing and their laughter had died down considerably, the odd huff or snicker only escaping them now and then, the couple fixed Tony with a very pointed look.

“What?” He said defensively when he realized they were staring at him.

Bucky fixed him with an unimpressed stare and he caved, chuckling half-heartedly to himself. “Jarvis?” He called out instead.

“I have taken the liberty of contacting Ms. Everett and requesting your usual balcony seats, Sir. She has assured me that you can arrive at any time and your usual amenities will be available to you-“ Jarvis intoned.

“Thanks, J. Can you-“ Tony started, only to be interrupted by his AI.

“I have also contacted Mr. Hogan to let him know that Julie will be available for pickup in the next ten-minutes and that you would like a pickup as well for 7:15 tonight,” Jarvis continued.

Tony huffed, running a hand through his hair nervously. “Great, thanks again J.”

“Of course, Sir,” The AI replied and he sounded far too smug for Tony’s liking.

Steve and Bucky snickered and Tony’s gaze slipped over to take them in, giving them both a lopsided grin. “Yeah, yeah-“ He muttered.

“So, what are you going to do?” Steve asked, helping Bucky stand and stretch a bit.

Tony shrugged, gaze flitting away from them. “Figure I’ll go watch the Nutcracker…see how much the ballet has changed in the last twenty or so years.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “And then?” He prompted.

Tony cleared his throat, reaching down to pick up the little jeweller’s screwdriver Julie had been using and fiddling with it. “Thought I might uh, you know, catch her on the way out…t-maybe tell her how I feel, or you know, something.”

Bucky and Steve wore similar looks of disbelief, eyebrows raised and heads tilted in thought. “Uh huh,” Bucky murmured.

Tony glanced over at him, looking shy and a little uncertain, but there was a determination there too. “I’ll surprise her, after the show. I-I’m sure she wouldn’t expect to see me there, so-“ He cleared his throat slightly. “Maybe I’ll catch her on the way out, pick up some flowers or something-“

Bucky’s gaze softened as he smiled at his friend, Steve wearing a similar look. “I think that sounds swell, Tony,” Steve admitted.

Tony huffed, pushing up his sleeves in annoyance. “Right, _swell._ ”

Bucky snickered and Tony’s lips quirked as he glanced over at the brunet. “Shut it-“ He admonished, but there was too much grin in his voice to be anything other than fond.

“Come on, I want to test this baby out-“ Bucky chuckled, flexing his arm and all eyes went towards the metal appendage as the metal clicked and whirred to life.

Bucky grinned manically and it really did rival Tony’s manic genius look. The pair laughed and Steve rolled his eyes as he watched them tear out of the lab and towards the gym, trailing along behind them with a huff. _Well, one step at a time._ He thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...hope you liked that...haha. Because the next instalment is going to be a lot of hurt...so just, forewarning you. And please don't hate me. <3


	20. Twenty

Tony slipped past the deep red curtain to his private box and proceeded to freak the fuck out. He was late, _of course_ he was fucking _late._ He’d gotten carried away sciencing with Bucky and Steve and despite watching the clock like a hawk and Jarvis’ _several_ warnings, he’d pushed it close, way too close. The opening act had already begun and his eyes roved across the stage below as he took his seat, scooching forward to get a clear look of the entirety of the stage while managing to remain as hidden as possible behind the balcony’s edge.

He always did like his privacy at these sorts of things.

And then his breath caught in his chest, lips parting in absolute _wonder_ as he spotted Julie amongst the other ballerinas. His entire being suddenly yearned for her more than he could have ever imagined possible and he found himself gripping the balcony’s ledge as he watched her sweep across the stage.

She was completely absorbed in her performance, looking glorious and every part the lovely Clara. He swallowed after finally having found his breath and tried to relax into his seat. It was a lost cause, he knew. He didn’t want to miss a thing and felt like a dog stirring at the sound of its owners each and every time they shifted in their seat or made a move to do well, _anything_.

He was completely enraptured by this beautiful being before him, lost in her own passion, in the music and dance; the _ballet_. He shook his head as he watched the way she flawlessly pirouetted once, then twice and did a whole slew of other complicated moves he couldn’t even begin to recall the names for at the moment. She was beautiful. So utterly and undoubtedly beautiful in her entirety and he wanted to be hers, for her to be his.

He pushed out a rough breath, the hand not gripping the balcony’s ledge for dear life digging into his own thigh in an attempt to ground himself and not get swept away in the sea of emotions he was feeling. It continued like that for what felt like hours, _days_ even, but he knew it was barely an hour before the first intermission.

He was anxious as the orchestra played on below, the curtains drawn over the stage. He idly let his eyes trail over the crowd below, many having left their seats to visit the bathrooms or to get a drink. But there was definitely still several hundred people gathered below, laughing and smiling, conversing with one another. Everyone was dressed up for the evening too, Tony noted. It was an expensive night out he imagined, not quite recalling the cost of a typical ticket to such an event, but knowing it didn’t exactly come cheap. Well, not that it concerned him at the very least.

The curtain moved slightly and Tony’s eyes were instantly drawn towards it, the sway of the black fabric catching his eye and giving him a peek behind it. He couldn’t see Julie, but he imagined her there, waiting for the audience and readying herself for the next act. He wondered what she would be wearing this time and knew he wouldn’t have to wait and wonder much longer.

When the performance resumed a little over ten-minutes later, Tony was virtually vibrating out of his seat with excitement. Julie was in a tutu. A fucking _tutu_. It was white tulle with gold shimmering all over and beautiful and she was beautiful and Tony was losing his goddamn _mind_ all over again.

The rest of the performance flew by in no time at all and he found himself lost in a sort of haze as he watched the woman who stole his heart, steal the show. She was in her element here, the audience clearly enjoying not only her performance, but the other ballerinas and the male dancers as well. There was noise building up around him and he realized with a start that the production was over and that everyone was applauding their performance.

He watched as the dancers bowed professionally and thanked the audience with smooth gestures of their hands before they were slipping from the stage as graciously as they had entered. The lights came up and everyone started vacating their seats.

Tony was frozen, completely glued to the seat of his chair. The ballet was over. “Now what?” He muttered under his breath, smoothing his sweaty hands nervously down the front of his suit pants.

His very expensive suit pants. He grimaced and blew out a rough breath, glancing over the balcony to see many of the guests exiting through the main doors. His own gaze cut down to where he saw a few of the ballerinas peeking out from one of the doorways near the stage, laughing and smiling with each other as they waved over a few lingering guests.

Julie appeared suddenly over the shoulder of one of the young girls for the briefest of moments before she slipped off with a wave over her shoulder at the small group. Tony blew out another breath. He didn’t have a lot of time if he-

He shook his head, nearly jumping up in his haste to get downstairs. It didn’t take long for him to slip down one of the private staircases he’d recalled being shown back when he and his mother used to come here. _For privacy_ , they’d been told. He was grateful for the knowledge when he didn’t pass anyone save for a couple of workers for the first few minutes.

But then he rounded a corner that he knew would take him towards the dressing rooms and practice rooms or if he turned the other way, straight out the side door where he could run out to the car where Happy would be waiting and instead, nearly bowled over a slightly familiar face.

“ _Oh!_ I’m so sorry-“ The brunette apologized, allowing herself to be righted with the help of Tony’s firm hands on her shoulders.

The woman’s eyes widened comically so as she made eye contact with him, colour draining from her pretty face as her jaw dropped open in surprise. “Diana, right?” Tony said smoothly, gaze slipping from her for only a moment to make sure there was no one else around. “Julie’s friend?”

The woman nodded, eyes still so, so wide. “Y-yeah, Mr.-Mr. Stark, you’re-you’re really-“

Tony gave her his trademark grin and colour instantly filled her cheeks again, her breath whooshing out of her. “ _Diana_ , it’s really lovely to finally meet you. Julie thinks very highly of you, always talks about you and the girls at the studio. I’m really very sorry to inconvenience you like this, but do you think you could keep our little visit a secret? I’d rather she didn’t know I was here this evening.”

Diana’s eyes were still so wide as she nodded slowly, almost hesitating. She licked her lips. “Y-you don’t want her to know you were here?” She asked in confusion.

Tony nodded, hands squeezing her shoulders lightly before he let her go. She seemed to drift towards him slightly before she managed to right herself. “That’s right, I’d like to keep it a surprise for a bit longer. I have… _plans,_ ” He explained with a soft chuckle, watching the woman’s eyes widen.

“O-of course,” She blurted, cheeks still impossibly red. “Wow, yeah, I can keep a secret. I think-I hope.”

Tony smiled as he took a step away from her, hearing the voices of no doubt some of the dancers gathering just down the hallway from them. “I believe in you, Diana. Now, I really must be going,” He insisted, slipping further off towards the door.

She nodded dumbly before gasping out, “It was really nice to meet you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony flashed her his winning smile before giving her a slight wave. “ _Please,_ call me Tony,” He insisted, throwing in a wink for good measure.

“Oh my _God_ ,” She breathed, eyes wide and cheeks pink as she covered her mouth with her hands, a squeak of delight escaping her.

Tony couldn’t help his laughter as he slipped outside into the crisp night, the coolness stealing his breath for a moment. He breathed in deeply before he began to make his way around to where Happy would no doubt be waiting for him.

It was still fairly busy out front, but he managed not to draw any attention as he slipped across the street and met Happy. The man was seated inside the unassuming black Audi already and Tony slipped quietly into the back seat before Happy greeted him.

“Don’t squish the flowers, boss,” His friend chastened, Tony indeed very nearly squishing the bouquet of red roses lying innocently on the back seat.

He shifted carefully and lifted them into his lap, shutting the door. Happy was twisted slightly in his seat up front to better observe the man and Tony breathed out a deep sigh. “So, how was it?” Happy asked curiously.

Tony shook his head, looking down at the rather extravagant bouquet in his lap. “She was beautiful, stole the performance, _easy_ ,” He admitted.

Happy gave him a timid smile. “I’ll bet she did.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, Tony’s gaze straying towards the front entrance to the theatre where the crowd was starting to dissipate. Happy wasn’t pressing him yet, but he was sure it would come soon enough. There was soft music playing over the radio that seemed to distract him enough for the time being, but then Tony’s breathing hitched when he caught sight of Julie walking down the steps of the theatre with Diana at her side, along with at least six other dancers.

They all looked happy, smiling and laughing, bumping into one another as they walked down the steps together. Tony held his breath as Julie hugged each and every one of them, waving to the group as she drew her jacket tighter around her and started to back away from them, clearly still caught up in conversation, but trying to distance herself from the group.

He could see Diana laughing, smiling brightly at her friend as they waved to each other, Diana blowing her a kiss and Julie blowing her one right back. He watched as Julie went towards the edge of the theatre, leaning up against one of the lamp posts on the sidewalk as she pulled out her phone from the depths of her parka.

Happy’s phone chimed on the dashboard of the car. They both looked at it.

Happy gave Tony a pointed look before he picked it up. “She says she’s done at the theatre and wondering when I might be available to pick her up,” Happy told him.

Tony swallowed, gaze cutting across to her standing across the street, illuminated in the darkness by the light of the street lamp above her, fiddling with her phone as she adjusted her duffle bag on her shoulder. “Just-five more minutes, Happy. I just, I need five more minutes,” He confessed.

Happy nodded, typing out a reply and setting his phone down as their gazes settled on the young woman waiting on the sidewalk. Tony breathed deeply, willing his heart to calm the fuck down so that he could think about what he was about to do.

He could see Julie so clearly from where he sat. Her cheeks were flushed pink in the chill of the winter night and he was unable to help the fond smile grace his features as he watched her pull her iPod from her coat pocket, wrapping the stupid cord of her headphones around it a few times before shoving it into her duffel bag.

Her hair was swept back in a very messy bun and her eyes seemed to sparkle with warmth every time the light from above caught them. Her black parka was oversized, at least a size or two too big and she was wearing a pair of tall black Uggs with stupid pink sparkles glinting in the light whenever she moved. He secretly loved her in Uggs. They always made her look so-so, _soft_. She was beautiful, cheeks flushed, content smile on her face, her breaths easy if the puffs of visible air escaping her were anything to go by.

Tony realized he was biting his bottom lip hard enough to nearly break skin and made himself stop. He inhaled deeply and when Happy shifted in his seat up front, Tony looked to him to find the man already watching him. “Are you going to make a lady wait, Stark?” He quipped.

Tony huffed a soft laugh, gaze flitting back to where she stood, looking around and then back down at her phone as she no doubt scrolled through Instagram or something. “I guess I shouldn’t,” He murmured, shifting in his seat, hand reaching for the door handle.

He took one last look at the woman, her head tipped down towards the screen, her features barely illuminated by its light and then he was opening the door. He didn’t know what he was going to say, hadn’t gotten that far, hadn’t really allowed himself to think beyond put one foot in front of the other and hope for the best.

He stood up, bouquet clutched in his hand as he placed his free hand against the top of the door, poised to close it. There was a sudden chorus of shouts to his right, then the unmistakable sound of screeching tires to his left.

It was as if time had slowed down in that instant. He could hear the tires screeching, the sound of a vehicle accelerating far too quickly and then he saw it; the fancy yellow corvette speeding through the intersection not a block away, swerving erratically.

His gaze whipped back to Julie standing on the sidewalk, brow furrowed as she lifted her head from her phone, head turning in an attempt to find the sound of the speeding vehicle. And Tony, Tony was forced to watch in abject horror as the car came flying through the intersection, towards-towards _Julie_ -and Tony’s world imploded.

Julie’s face contorted from stunned shock into absolute terror. She had absolutely no time to act, no time to move. She barely even flinched. All Tony could see was the quick breath in she took-a word, _a name_ -falling from her lips…

And then the car struck her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me... <3


	21. Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate cliffhangers, so I'm sorry for that last chapter, but I did manage to pump out another page for you right after. <3 So there, I hope that helps. xD xoxo

There was a terrifying cry ringing in his ears and it took a moment for Tony to realize it was coming from him. But there wasn’t time. Barely a second passed before the roses were slipping from his gasp, falling forgotten to the pavement below. He was running, door left ajar, his entire being flooding with terror. His mind was screaming at him, his body calling out to her, her name sounding strangled as it fell from his lips. He could see her, he could see her and he-a part of him wished he couldn’t.

She had been thrown several feet down the side street bracketing the theatre and now lay sprawled on her back, one knee twisted out to the side, the other-the other was- He ripped his mind away from it, scanning the rest of her body for injuries. Her arm right arm was resting at an alarmingly odd angle, the otherresting limply at her side. There was blood on her chest, her legs, her stomach-her coat soaked through with it-

He was crying out wordlessly as he fell to his knees beside her, her face pale as he reached out for her, cupping her cheeks, shifting closer to cradle her head in the pillow of his arms. People were shouting, he could hear them, but barely over the din of the blood rushing in his ears. There was blood on her cheeks, in her hair. He realized belatedly that he’d gotten her blood on his hands and was unintentionally spreading it over her cheeks as he caressed her.

He was shouting out for someone to call 911, his instincts kicking in, but he-he couldn’t-he couldn’t _focus_. This was _Julie_. He shook his head, tears in his eyes, anger welling up as someone dropped down beside them. _Diana_. It was Diana.

She was saying something to him, she was crying, shouting out to him, to others. He could hear Happy’s voice in the chaos, sirens in the distance, dozens of people were trying to crowd in, but others were pushing the people back. He heard a car door screech open and his head practically twitched on his shoulders, not wanting to, not able to see who had done this. He couldn’t, he’d-he’d just _lose it_.

He looked down at the limp form cradled in his arms and he couldn’t tell if she was breathing, couldn’t hear her, couldn’t see if her chest was rising and falling beneath her coat. He shook his head, staring longingly into her face, willing her to open her eyes. He was begging, _pleading_ with her. _Just open your eyes, Julie._ ** _Please_ , **_just open your eyes._

“Did I-did I-“ Someone was saying.

The voice was slurred, stunned and Tony, Tony _looked_.

A man, a young man, no older than Julie herself was leaning heavily against the corvette, one hand braced against the door, the other wrapped around the neck of a bottle-

Before he knew what he was doing, he was up, Julie left cradled in Diana’s arms as the other woman curled protectively over her friend. In only a second he was in front of the clearly intoxicated man, hand gripping his neck tight, too tight.

He didn’t care.

Tony’s eyes were wide, filled with hate, disbelief and _angry,_ so, so angry and far wider than the surprised younger man in his grasp. The bottle fell, shattering into a dozen pieces on the sidewalk at their feet, liquid splashing their shoes and Tony’s grasp tightened as he found both of the man’s hands reaching up and clinging ineffectually around his wrist in an attempt to get him to let go.

“What did you do-?” He gasped wetly, tears stinging his eyes, his throat practically strangled as he forced the words out.

The man’s eyes were wide, panicked but he was too slow, too sluggish and he shook his head as much as Tony would allow, his gaze flickering towards Julie’s prone form, the crowd, Diana wrapped around her, crying tears of her own.

“I’m-“ The man started to say, but Tony’s hand tightened reflexively around his throat, cutting off his air near entirely.

“ _Stark-_ “ It was a gasp, a desperate shout and it made him pause, relax his grip, but just.

He glanced towards Diana, her eyes shining with tears, her cheeks damp with them as she gazed up at him from the snow-covered sidewalk. “She’s breathing-“

Tony let go.

The man falling to his knees was lost on him as he too fell to his knees at Julie’s side, hands winding themselves into her hair as he pressed his forehead against hers, willing her to take another breath. She did and though she didn’t open her eyes, it was enough. It had to be enough.


	22. Twenty-Two

Tony doesn’t know how he got from point A to point B, but he’s here now, at the hospital waiting in a pitiful waiting room with a few others looking just as harried as him. Waiting for news he’s not sure he can take. Happy was with him for a bit, as was Diana. He wished he’d noticed her shaking sooner, too caught up in his own distress to have noticed hers. Nurses had taken her away down the hall and treated her with shock and he was surprised they hadn’t dragged him along too. He’d made Happy go along with her to see if he could help call her parents, anyone she maybe needed while he was left alone to his thoughts.

When the Police had arrived back at the theatre, Tony had demanded the drunk driver be arrested. He was, without question. There were enough bystanders that had tried to explain to the officers what had happened without Tony getting involved too directly and he knew there were photographs being taken, but he couldn’t quite care enough to shout at them for the moment.

Dealing with the paramedics had been trying, watching them tear off her jacket to get to her. Tony tried to explain that she didn’t have relatives when they’d asked. He’d told them that she was his intern but they were wary about letting him come along in the ambulance.

Diana vouched for him, a woman that he barely knew, but knew Julie well enough to know that she’d want him there. Tony was grateful, but couldn’t express anything in words to her, shaken to his core by what h- _they_ -had witnessed. Happy drove himself to the hospital, making no doubt a few phone calls along the way and now he was with Diana as she was calmed down and her family on their way.

Julie was in surgery. He knew that much. The paramedics couldn’t tell for certain how many bones had been broken, but the number was far higher than Tony cared to count. They knew her collarbone was shattered on the right side at the very least and her legs, he-he really didn’t want to think about how many breaks they had sustained.

She was so _fragile_ and Tony would never have said that to her face, but she, she was _so-_ He swallowed hard when the doors to the waiting room opened and out stepped a couple of men in white coats. They motioned him forwards and he tried hard not to look at how their coats weren’t as white as they probably should be. Tony hadn’t been sitting, so he quickly jerked himself forwards and through the set of doors.

“H-how is she?” He croaked, his voice strangled and hoarse to his own ears and most certainly theirs.

“She is recovering, Mr. Stark. She is resting in a private room as you asked,” One of the surgeons explained calmly, the other opening a door to a corridor for them to pass into.

Tony’s breath whooshed out of him. His hands had started shaking again or perhaps they simply hadn’t stopped. “So the surgery-“

“The surgery went as well as could have been expected. She has a broken collarbone that will take time to heal and the wound on her side was purely a result of several abrasions with the asphalt and although it looks bad, the skin will heal and there will be no lasting damage to any of her internal organs because of it-“

Tony was nodding jerkily and he swallowed hard before he dared to ask it. They’d come to a stop in front of a door that was slightly ajar, a young male nurse standing in front of it with a clipboard and chewing on the end of a pen as he gazed down at it with a sadness reflected in his eyes. Tony’s stomach churned. “Wha-what about-?” He started to ask, the nurse looking up slowly from his clipboard as the doctors shifted uncomfortably from foot to feet beside him.

“Her legs were both very badly broken, Mr. Stark. Her left sustained the most damage and we did what we could to get them back in order, but there is a very low possibility that she will ever be able to walk on her own once she heals, let alone run or…dance,” One of the doctors murmured, not unkindly, Tony knew; they were just telling him what they believed to be the truth.

But they didn’t know Julie.

He swallowed hard. “You don’t know her like I do. If she sets her mind to it, she’ll do it-“ He said firmly.

The doctors didn’t say anything to that for a moment and Tony took a deep breath. “She just needs to wake up first.”

 

.

 

An hour, maybe three or five passed and Tony was left to watch over her in agonized stillness and that’s how Steve found him around five-thirty the next morning.

There was a noise in the hallway but Tony didn’t really hear it, too lost in his own sea of dreadful thoughts, but then the door squeaked on its hinges and Tony shifted, the hands that had been squeezing his head, hair caught between his fingers dropping from his scalp and forcing blood to race back to the area. His scalp tingled, his knuckles aching from the force of which he’d been gripping his hair.

He shifted back up into a sitting position, elbows slipping from the edge of the hospital bed, his weary devastated gaze shifting from Julie’s blanket covered hip up to-to _Steve_. Tony’s breath left him at seeing the blond looking harried and in disarray, a pair of jeans slung low on his hips, missing his usual belt and a black t-shirt that had seen better days, one that probably wasn’t even his own if the thinness on the left shoulder was anything to go by.

His expression was twisted, cheeks flushed, hair wild, eyes just as wild and desperate as Tony felt. He’d run here, Tony’s brain supplied and then Tony found himself standing, chair scraping against the linoleum and then he was being enveloped in the larger man’s arms, the warmth of him seeping into his bones and _God_ , but he hoped it would stay there.

“ _Tony-_ “ Steve’s voice cracked, whispered and hoarse as he held Tony that much tighter.

The brunet’s arms held him fast, hands gripping tightly in the back of his borrowed t-shirt as he clung to the man. “ _I-_ “ Tony started, but his voice was strangled and he couldn’t bear to hear himself sound so lost, so wrecked and-and _vulnerable_.

Tears rushed to the forefront of his vision- _again_ -and Tony clenched his eyes shut, his teeth nearly clashing together in an attempt to stifle the sob that wanted to escape him. Steve’s arms tightened, one of his hands sliding up Tony’s back and pressing firmly against the back of his neck in an attempt to soothe him, ground him. Tony found himself taking a gasping breath at the relief he felt from that slight gesture and he buried his face further into the man’s chest for a moment before Steve forced them to pull apart, only a little.

Tony couldn’t meet his gaze for a tense moment, but then he was tipping his chin up and looking into the face of a very concerned Steve Rogers and Tony gave in, letting all his pain and sadness well up and _show_ on his face. Steve’s expression fell, his hands sliding down to hold Tony’s shoulders firmly. “Happy talked to Jarvis and he-he told us-“ Steve began, his words stilted and uncertain and so damn _worried_.

“S-she’s in a coma, Steve-“ Tony managed to gasp out, tears barely managing to escape with how tight Tony was trying to hold himself back; he knew he wouldn’t hold on for much longer.

Steve’s face pinched up in agony and twisted into something wholly unpleasant and then they were being interrupted by a startled inhale from the doorway. Both of their gazes shot towards the sound and their faces fell when they saw who it was. Bucky was standing just inside the room, gaze firmly settled on the bed and Julie therein.

Bucky took a jerky step towards the bed, but then couldn’t seem to move any closer. His metal arm twitched as if wanting to reach out, but he couldn’t make it move, couldn’t make any part of him move. His face was twisting, lips caught up in a grimace and a sneer as if he were disgusted, angry and absolutely devastated all at once; which, granted, he probably was. Disgusted with the man that had done this, angry- _furious-_ with him and devastated by what he saw.

Steve’s ragged exhale drew Tony’s attention and he realized the blond was now looking towards the bed as well and Tony knew that he was seeing her for the first time too. Julie’s face was pale, nearly gaunt looking in the poor lighting in the room. Her right cheek was bruised to hell and back, a nasty looking cut up by her left temple had been bandaged, but there was blood in her beautiful blonde hair that suggested what laid beneath.

Her lips weren’t their usual vibrant pink, but instead had a waxen pallor that he was sure he’d never seen on the woman before. He never wanted to see it on her again. Her right arm was held fast to her front by a sling while there were also bandages wrapped around her bicep and forearm, no doubt covering up cuts and bruises they never wanted to see on her. What was worse was the fact that many of the bandages were unable to keep from turning a slight pink or ruddy brown colour as her blood seeped through her dressings.

She was wearing a typical hospital gown, blue with tiny white polkadots all over and her lower half was obscured by a thin white blanket, but you could see the outline of the unnatural devices surrounding her legs beneath the blanket that didn’t quite leave enough to the imagination. Her eyes remained closed, tubes through her nose and a thicker one in her mouth, taped to her cheek to keep it in place as she slept. The steady beeping of the machines around her doing nothing to calm Tony’s nerves.

Tony inhaled shakily, but it was drowned out by the sound of the noise Bucky made then, a choked off sob deep in his chest that had Steve twitching in front of Tony, the blond clearly wanting to reach out to his lover but too stunned to do so. One of Steve’s hands slipped from Tony’s shoulders and landed on the end of the bed, fingers curling around the metal bar at her feet.

Their gazes were pinned on her as they took in the sight of her slight frame against the too white pillow, the too white sheet, the too white blanket. She looked paler than normal, her hair not nearly as vibrant and instead of the slightly wavy mess they were used to if it wasn’t up in a bun, it was matted, dingy and darkened with sweat and blood and probably a bit of dirt still. They all dreaded what her eyes would look like if she were to open them then, but they knew that wouldn’t be the case.

The doctors had said she was in a coma and they-they didn’t know when she’d open them. When she’d wake up… _if_ she would wake up. Tony swallowed hard at the thought. She would wake up. She _had_ to wake up.

“T-the doctors said-“ Tony started, his words stilted.

Bucky’s gaze shifted to his friend, noting the awful bags under Tony’s eyes, the unearthly paleness of his skin, like all the blood had drained from his face, the light from his eyes. Bucky swallowed past the awful lump in his throat at the sight. He’d never seen Tony like this before. Tony’s face contorted in misery, his gaze flickering back towards the bed and the lines of his face suddenly became far more pronounced, the grey at his temples so much starker against his brown locks. His expensive suit jacket was missing, but the white button up shirt he wore-well, Bucky wished it were missing too.

It was stained with blood and dirt and Tony had clearly been sweating, his underarms dark with it. His grey suit pants were dirtied, one of the knees torn slightly and Bucky was certain he could see blood on not only his thighs, but his knees as well. He wondered if Tony was injured, but Happy had said-

He was snapped back to the here and now when Tony made an aborted gesture towards Julie and Bucky’s stomach dropped when his fingers grazed the blanket at her feet before he snatched his hand back and ran shaking fingers through his own dirtied hair, gaze flickering back to Bucky first and then to Steve.

_Steve_ who was staring at Julie with such sadness reflected in his gaze, tears having welled up there and his eyes shining with it. “W-will she ever-?” He started to ask, throat clicking with the effort not to cry.

His voice was filled with emotion and Tony’s face contorted in abject misery as he nodded. “They-she’ll wake up, she _will-_ “ He said firmly, hating the waver in his own voice.

He shook his head. “They don’t know her, not like us. She’ll wake up and she-she’ll walk and run and d-dance, Steve. She-she _has_ to-“ He gasped, voice catching as tears started to well up faster than he could control, spilling over onto his cheeks.

His eyes burned and he wanted to wipe the tears away, but he couldn’t find the will to move, to do anything other than stand there and gasp wetly as his body started to wrack with the sobs he’d been holding back all night.

He’d wept, alone with her in the room, but softly, like he was afraid to wake her, wanting her to rest. He’d have given anything for her to wake up, to open her eyes. But he didn’t want her to see herself like this, to see _him_ like this. He knew she was strong, but he wasn’t sure he could take it. He couldn’t bear the thought of her in pain and he was certain she’d be in agony when she finally did wake.

“She will, Tony. She will,” Steve said, the certainty in his voice near startling and then Tony caught the edge to his voice and the sound of metal creaking.

He glanced down through his tears to see the blond gripping the railing on the bed at Julie’s feet, the metal bending in his grasp. Bucky’s metal arm landed on Steve’s forearm, giving him a gentle squeeze that managed to coerce Steve into relinquishing his grip on the bed. Steve gasped out wetly, his breathing ragged for a moment before he lost it.

“Who-who _did_ this-?” He nearly shouted. “ _How_ -how could someone-“

Tony flinched, his eyes snapping towards Julie and then back to Steve. He shook his head. “The guy was drunk and out for a joy-ride, I-he-“ He shook his head again, unable to wrap his head around it.

“He was _drunk_ -“ Steve breathed, anger practically _radiating_ off of him as he pulled away from the bed, out of Bucky’s grasp as he moved to Julie’s right side. “That-that’s not-“ He seethed, his anger brimming over as hot tears slipped free.

“It’s not an excuse-“ Bucky whispered and both of their gazes snapped to him.

His voice was filled with quiet anger and Tony swallowed hard. Bucky still looked shaken, but he also looked furious, like he was struggling to control that long dormant side of him that he’d worked _very_ hard to put into a box and only bring out when absolutely necessary.

“ _Bucky-_ “ Steve breathed, a whisper that was barely audible to Tony.

Bucky raised his eyes to Steve’s and swallowed, pushing out a very controlled breath. “It’s not an excuse, Steve. _Being_ -“ He stalled for a moment, his face attempting to twist up in an angry sneer, but the soldier slipped out and snatched it back.

His face smoothed out into an eerie stillness and Tony’s breath left him when he next spoke. “He will pay for what he’s done. _I_ will make damn sure of that,” Bucky seethed, but it was all Winter Soldier, no trace of James _Bucky_ Barnes left for an instant.

Tony exhaled, a rush of fear spiked with uncertainty, but then Bucky’s flesh and blood hand twitched at his side, fingers grazing Julie’s hip hidden beneath the blanket and in the next instant, the soldier was gone and _Bucky_ was sinking to his knees at her bedside opposite Steve.

Tony’s face crumpled as he watched his friend lose himself in his pain, his frustration over the fact that they were _here_. He shook his head and before he could think too much about it, he was standing at Bucky’s side and squeezing the man’s flesh and blood shoulder. Any remaining trace of the soldier was instantly replaced by James reclaiming himself with a wet sob as he reached up and grasped Tony’s hand with his metal hand, just holding him.

Steve’s face was pinched as he regarded his lover and friend, his eyes slipping to where Bucky’s fingers were gently brushing against Julie’s hip. She hadn’t stirred, not even with Bucky’s slight outburst, their conversation or their tears.

“She’s going to be okay, Bucky. She-she has to be. You know she’s a fighter, she’ll-“ Tony started, taking a few deep breaths to ground himself.

Bucky squeezed his hand still grasping his shoulder and nodded. “She will, Tony. She will, we’ll make sure of that,” He agreed, gaze flickering up to Steve.

Steve nodded resolutely and Tony’s gaze slipped back down to Julie’s prone form, looking battered and bruised and so damn _vulnerable_. Tony’s hand fell from Bucky’s shoulder as he stepped closer to her bedside, one shaking hand reaching out to brush her uninjured temple with the backs of his fingers.

“I didn’t even get to tell her,” He whispered after a beat of silence.

Bucky and Steve shared a look full of sadness and terrified understanding. Tony sat down very carefully on the edge of her bed, brushing back some of her hair from her forehead as he leaned in to press warm lips against the woman’s closed eye. First one and then the other before whispering shakily, “I love you, Julie. _Dear God,_ but I do.”

He breathed shakily against her temple a moment later, breathing in the smell of her, mixed with the acrid smell of blood and her sweat tinged with something he could only call _sickness_. He shook his head sadly. “ _Please,_ just wake up, sweetheart,” He begged.

The world shifted then for Steve and Bucky and neither understood it then, nor would they in the coming months, but something shifted within them and it rocked them to their very cores. They felt off-balance, off-kilter in a way that neither had felt since they shared that very first kiss in their ratty flat in Brooklyn so many years ago.

In time they’d understand, but right now, right now all they could do was watch Tony as his face crumbled with regret and terrified sadness as he curled protectively over the sleeping woman. His hands cradled her face so carefully as he pressed a kiss over the bridge of her nose, whispering endearments, words of love and praise and adoration into her skin; and Steve and Bucky realized with a slow kind of dawning horror, that maybe Tony thought he’d never actually get to say these things to her and have her hear them, have her know them.

And that, they soon realized, was probably what terrified Tony more than anything.

 

.

 

The rest of the morning passed by in a bit of a blur for Tony. Natasha and Clint showed up not long after Steve and Bucky’s arrival and while they attempted to get Tony to leave to shower and change and maybe eat something, they realized that no amount of Natasha staring him down was going to get him to leave her bedside.

Darcy, Jane, Wanda, Thor and even Bruce had shown up just after eight o-clock with food, because they knew, they knew they were going to need to feed each other or they’d all make themselves sick with worry. Tony was secretly grateful when Darcy shoved a breakfast wrap at him, even if he only managed a bite or two before handing it off to Steve who ate it quietly; just as grateful for their friends in that moment as Tony was.

Peter is the next to show up and no one, _no one_ is as surprised by his reaction as Tony surely was. Peter looked as if he’d run a marathon or three just to get there and Tony later found out that he’d been away with his aunt May nearly three hours away at their newly acquired cottage well outside of town. Looking dishevelled and sweaty, curly brown hair practically plastered to his forehead as he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Julie surrounded by their friends, some lingering in the hallway, some in the waiting room and the rest cramming themselves into the small hospital room taking up chairs and just about every piece of visible floor space they could manage.

Tony was relieved they’d managed to get a private room at all, even if it was tiny and he was sincerely grateful for it as he watched Peter drop down onto his knees at the foot of her bed, wincing in sympathy for the pain that surely caused; lord knows Tony’s knees were screaming from his own trips to the floor in the last 24 hours.

Peter’s face contorted, his eyes stinging with the sudden urge to cry. His cheeks were red and whether that was from the cold he’d no doubt come in from or the emotions that were rushing through him, Tony didn’t know. It was painful to watch, all the same. “Oh, _Julie_ -“ Peter breathed, his hands reaching out and grasping the slightly bent metal bar at the end of the woman’s bed.

Tony’s face twisted in pain and he forced himself to look away, out the small window in the room to the city down below oblivious to their pain. He could hear Peter’s ragged breaths as he took in the scene, took in Julie and what that must be doing to the younger man, Tony knew. He’d felt it just the same, _worse_ even.

“I-I can’t believe-“ Peter gasped brokenly and Tony shut his eyes against it all, wishing he couldn’t hear the way the younger man’s breath caught, the way his voice wavered the next time he spoke or the sniffle that sounded far too wet.

There was a sudden inhale in the doorway and Tony’s heart damn near imploded when he recognized the owner. He opened his eyes and forced himself to turn and was soon face to face with Pepper and Rhodey, Happy standing behind them looking stricken and terrified and _hurting_. Hurting for Tony, because Tony was no fool, he knew what he must have looked like to them.

He’d barely managed to turn to get a proper look at his best friends before Rhodey had him encased in his arms, a solid weight pressed against his front as he was hugged so tightly. Pepper was there too, a soft murmur of his name and a reassuring small hand pressing against his cheek as he hugged Rhodey back just as hard.

Tears were beginning to slip free again and he wasn’t sure he could do this again, wasn’t sure he had anything left in him. But there it was. He could feel himself shaking again, after he’d finally managed to get it under _some_ control. He felt Pepper’s hand slip from his now damp cheek to rub soothing circles against his lower back and he could hear Rhodey talking to him but couldn’t make sense of it for the moment, but it sounded soothing, so he leaned into it; leaned into his friends.

He could hear others talking around them, no doubt filling in the details from what Tony had told them and the rest of which Natasha had pried from the doctors and nurses within three-minutes of walking through the front doors. But it was all background noise to him and he could feel himself slipping, sinking into that bottomless pit of despair he’d been avoiding, but now, safe in his friend’s arms, surrounded by them, he felt protected. They had him, he could slip, he could let go, just for a moment.

But then he heard Peter crying, openly so and he, he realized that he couldn’t slip away like his body and mind demanded of him. He couldn’t. He had to be strong, he had to be there for his friends, for Julie. He blinked and slowly pried himself from Rhodey and Pepper’s arms, ignoring their soft pleas for him to sit down and eat something, maybe shower and change. There wasn’t time for that right now.

He knelt down at Peter’s side, wrapping his arm around Peter’s shoulders and pulling him in close, tucked against his side. Peter didn’t resist, letting himself be pulled and Tony tucked his head against the young man’s temple. “It’s okay, Peter. She’s going to be okay. She’s going to wake up and you’re going to get to hug her and tease her about her silly Uggs, give her more stupid Spider-Man shit and laugh and smile with her,” Tony insisted, his voice breaking on just about every word but he had to believe it and he needed to say it, to make Peter believe it, to make them all believe it.

 

.

 

In the coming hours, the Team slowly started to filter out of the hospital, wanting to give Tony some space, well, some of them did. It was hard to look at Tony and see him so broken down, even worse to see Julie in such a state. Pepper disappeared for a little while, but Tony barely noticed, caught in a sort of daze for the rest of the day. When she returned with two nurses, Tony immediately stood up and demanded to know if they had any news.

“No, Sir,” The young female nurse admitted, trying to sooth him while the male nurse he’d seen outside Julie’s door earlier that day moved to Julie’s bedside. “Miss Potts has made some arrangements for Miss O’Donnel and we’d like to move her to her new room, but we’ll have to ask you and your friends to leave while we do so.”

Tony’s head jerked towards Pepper who was giving him a reassuring look. “A-a new room?” Tony inquired, looking back to the nurses.

“Yes, Sir. Still a private room, but a touch larger than this one-“ The male nurse explained and relief rushed through Tony.

He nodded. “Oh, o-of course,” He whispered, watching as they started fiddling with the machines and making some adjustments to Julie’s bed.

Pepper touched his elbow gently, urging him to stand. “Come on, Tony. She’s going to be fine for a little while. They’re going to make her even more comfortable and you’re going to sign a bit of paperwork, get something proper to eat and then take a shower, sweetheart,” Pepper urged _very_ gently.

Tony nodded dumbly, slowly moving towards the door. Reluctant, but still moving. “Y-you mean sign a cheque, _right?_ ” Tony whispered, giving her a worried look. “ _A big one._ ”

Pepper nodded. “A big one, I’ve even left the amount open for you,” She agreed.

Tony nodded, glancing towards the nurses and then Julie before he suddenly pulled himself free of Pepper’s light grasp and rushed to her bedside. Both of the nurses stepped back for a moment, everyone watching as he bent to kiss Julie’s forehead. “I-I’ll be right back, honey. _Right_ back, I _promise_. Don’t wake up without me there, please don’t do that to me-“ He whispered.

No one said a word about it as he was led from the room, the remaining Team members slipping out with them, all making plans to meet back up shortly, once they’d all had a bite to eat. No amount of coercion could get Tony to leave the hospital for _any_ amount of time even if they assured him it would only be an hour, that was too much if he had anything to say about it.

So, Pepper being the miracle woman that she was, managed to get Tony a change of clothes and access to a shower while the rest of the Team ordered a feast big enough to feed not only them, but several nurses and orderlies they wanted to weasel information out of. It worked, though none of the information had been all that staggering. Everything they’d already heard and none of it reassuring them in the slightest.

When the male nurse-whom Tony had learned was named Jasper-returned to tell them that Julie’s room was ready and that they could go up and see her again, Tony practically bolted from his seat. He was shaking terribly by the time he got back to her room, surprised to see Diana waiting on one of the six chairs in Julie’s now-quite frankly- _enormous_ room. Julie was now in a larger bed that looked even more comfortable than the last as well as a second smaller bed pressed up against the far wall, under the window.

Thank God for Pepper Potts.

Diana looked up from her spot at the edge of her seat, relief flooding her at seeing Tony and then surprise when she saw Steve, Bucky, Peter, Natasha, Clint, Pepper and Rhodey. It was a lot to take, Tony imagined, but he drew her attention when he went to her. She stood up and Tony didn’t hesitate to hug her. He barely knew her and she him, but it didn’t matter right this second.

“The nurse explained everything to me, I-I’m so sorry Mr. Stark-“ Diana breathed, her voice wobbling as she hugged Tony back.

They parted after a moment and Tony nodded. “I know, I know. I’m sorry too. But it’s going to be okay, she’ll-she’ll be fine,” He insisted, letting go of the young woman.

Diana nodded, though her face was pinched up as she stepped back a bit, gaze slipping back to Julie. “She will,” She barely dared to whisper.

“How are you doing, though?” Tony asked her sincerely, the woman’s dark brown eyes meeting his once again.

“I-I’m okay. I need to-I need to go though, Mr-“ She started, tears in her eyes.

“ _Tony-_ “ He insisted and she nodded.

“I need to go, Tony,” She corrected. “I can-can’t see her like this and I-“

Tony shook his head, reaching out and squeezing her arm in reassurance. “It’s okay, Diana. It-we’ll be here with her. _I’ll_ be here with her.”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip as it wobbled again and Tony watched her start to pull away from him, heading for the doorway. Steve was there, as were the others and she shot them a look before glancing pointedly back to Tony. “Look after her please,” She whispered then glanced back to the others. “And you’d all better look after him, because when she wakes up, she’ll be pissed if she finds out he didn’t eat or sleep. Lord knows I’ve heard her complain about his lack of self-care enough for one lifetime.”

Steve let out an involuntary chuckle-even if it was strained-as he nodded and she looked relieved for a moment-they all did-before she slipped out the door without another word. The room was eerily quiet as they all stood there, Tony staring down at Julie’s pale hand, her long fingers stretched out lying innocently atop the couple of blankets draped over her.

It was so quiet, only the sounds of the slightly muted beeping of the machines at Julie’s head breaking the silence. Tony’s breath whooshed out of him as he looked around at their friends; _their_ friends. Because they were as much Julie’s friends as they were his. They loved this woman so, _so_ much and it showed. There was no doubt about that.

Natasha stepped forward then, reaching out to press a reassuring hand against the genius’ shoulder. “She _is_ going to be okay, Tony,” She murmured.

Tony nodded jerkily, gaze flickering towards where Clint shifted beside Bucky. They all believed that, he realized as he looked around at these amazing people that had somehow infiltrated his life, Julie’s life. “Yeah-“ He breathed. “She will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I making it better? I feel like I'm making it better...not really, I'm sorry! We'll get there though! <33


	23. Twenty-Three

Thirteen days. It had been thirteen _horrible_ days since the accident and Tony was a mere ghost of himself. The doctors didn’t say much when they did visit, but they were doing all the could for her, he knew. The nurses, Jared and Kaley-he’d learned the young woman’s name on the second day of not just Julie’s hospital stay, but his too-came in every day to change Julie’s dressings, her gown and to bathe her carefully.

They would calmly tell Tony that she was healing well and kindly tell him that he should get some rest and take care of himself because when she wakes up, she’s going to need him to be at his best. He did try to sleep, on the extra bed they’d given him in Julie’s room, but it never lasted. The Team would visit in pairs or small groups whenever they could, bringing food and extra clothes, even a tablet for Tony to work on if he wanted to. He didn’t want to. Tony was rarely left in the room alone with Julie, though it did admittedly happen.

He wasn’t upset by it because it gave him time to tell her everything he’d wished he’d told her since he’d fallen in love with her, before that, even. Bucky and Steve visited the most, as did Peter, though every one did their best to come whenever they could to show their support, to sit and talk to her in hopes that she could hear them.

The nurses and doctors always insisted that she could, though maybe not exact words, just feelings. Tony wanted to believe them, he did, but he wasn’t so sure on most days. It was two days until Christmas Eve and still there was no sign of Julie waking up and the waiting was taking its toll on Tony.

He wasn’t eating like he should, wasn’t taking care of himself. He only showered when Bucky would warn him that Natasha or Pepper were on their way. They were the worst to deal with when he hadn’t been looking after himself, aside from Steve of course. His mother hen instincts kicking in to high gear at the sight of a dishevelled or exhausted looking Tony. Really, Bucky was no better, but seemed to go a bit easier on him than the girls or Steve.

Tony appreciated their concern, he knew he needed to take better care of himself through this because it was only going to get harder when Julie woke up. And she would wake up. He was adamant about that, even if there were no signs forthcoming of her awakening. She still remained silent, sleeping peacefully, her face lax, those godawful tubes sticking out of her nose and mouth, the IV in the back of her hand. He shook his head, sitting in what had become _his_ chair at her bedside.

He let his tired eyes rove across her lithe frame and it never seemed to improve, though everyone reassured him that she was indeed healing, just slowly. He hadn’t slept the night before or really, the night before that. Only an hour or two here and there at best and it wasn’t enough, he knew. But he couldn’t do anything about it. He shifted in his seat, pulling his eyes away from her still frame to look at the screens on the wall displaying her heart beat and a bunch of other measurements.

All looked normal, to his never-ending relief. He shifted again, dragging the small sitting pillow Sam had brought by, along with a couple of blankets. Sam had been out of town and hadn’t gotten the news, sadly, until only two days ago. He was…less than pleased that no one could get a message out to him, but really they had tried, but he’d been overseas at a VA meeting orchestrated by the president himself, so there was that.

When he’d found out what had happened, he’d shown up at the hospital with blankets, pillows and the best coffee Tony ever remembered having in his _life_. Sam was a good bro, he understood why Steve liked him so much, why Bucky teased him so much. He was-he was just a good guy.

So Tony hugged the small pillow to his chest and then put it down carefully at Julie’s side before laying his head down, turning his gaze towards her feet. She was always covered up by blankets, Tony and the nurses made sure of that. She was vulnerable enough as it was and Tony didn’t want everyone to see how… _cripplingly_ vulnerable she really was.

Still, he knew they’d see eventually, they all would and until she woke up, they wouldn’t really understand to what degree. He swallowed hard, shutting his eyes as he tried to let himself drift. He was tired, of course he was and for the moment, he thought he might actually be able to sleep for a little longer than an hour, so he figured he’d ought to try.

That's how Bucky found him a little over three hours later. He hadn’t told anyone he was going to visit, slipping out of the compound at two in the morning. He just-he had this urge to see Julie to make sure that she was safe. He’d had a dream and sometimes, sometimes they were hard to shake free of until he could see things the way they were now, make sure that they were real, safe.

So when Bucky slipped into the Julie’s room at the hospital, he visibly relaxed upon seeing her for real. He inhaled deeply, gaze flickering over first her and then Tony who was still asleep at her side, curled over from his seat in the chair. Bucky shook his head in fond sadness. Tony’s back was going to hate him after all this.

Bucky shifted in the darkness of the room, watching the rise and fall of Tony’s back as he slept, the slight but barely-there rise and fall of Julie’s thin chest. Seeing her like this sometimes reminded him too much of Steve growing up, his illnesses and countless hospital visits. On bad days, when he let too much anger seep into his bones and he was visiting Julie, he thought it was Steve there lying in bed, the solider wanting to come forth and wring whoever’s neck had caused his best friend harm, his lover, _harm._

He’d reign the solider in as best he could and hope that no one noticed. Steve tended to notice, but kindly didn’t comment on it. Bucky had looked into the man that had done this to their Julie. When the Police had come by to interview Tony and take a statement from him, he’d learned of the man’s name and he’d gone snooping around.

His anger was warranted, granted, but he was glad he’d done some investigating before letting the solider out to… _take care_ of the guy. The guy’s name was Richard Everett and he-he wasn’t in a good place mentally. It didn’t excuse what he’d done and he was facing some seriously heavy charges for what he’d done, that was for sure. Tony’s lawyers were ruthless on the best of days and this guy didn’t have a chance.

But learning that he’d struggled with the loss of his parents and little sister quite recently…it was…it wasn’t hard to feel a little bad for the guy. Not that the soldier did, but Bucky…Bucky sort of did and Tony too, when he felt like he was well enough to listen. Still, they knew they’d never forgive the guy, not ever; not after what he’d done.

Bucky’s eyes slid over Tony again before looking back up into Julie’s peaceful face. That stillness he’d become accustomed to still niggled at him. He _hated_ seeing Julie so still. It was like watching Tony sit still. It was _painful_. Tony was constant motion and Julie, Julie was just the same. Seeing them both so still in a place neither ever belonged in, it was very disconcerting for him.

Tony hadn’t touched his tablet since they’d brought it, barely remembered to charge his phone either. They hadn’t been successful in getting him to leave the hospital, but he knew Pepper was going to be coming by in the morning in hopes of luring him out. Truthfully, Bucky knew Pepper was going to wrestle Tony out those doors in the morning whether Tony was ready for it or not. The world needed Tony Stark, just for a few minutes.

But that was tomorrow’s problem-er, the morning’s problem-now, was Bucky’s problem. He breathed in deeply as he took a few tentative steps towards the bed, noting that Tony was too deep in sleep to notice the slightly anxious whirring of his metal arm. He let his flesh and blood hand trail along the bedcovers, noting that the blanket had been changed since earlier that day. He’d been by in the morning but had been asked to leave when the nurses had come by to bathe her.

Tony had stepped outside of her room and sat down on the floor, back to the door and just- _waited._ It had been painful to watch, so Bucky had left, sending Steve a text to come by and check on Tony when he had a free minute. Steve had shown up less than forty minutes later with coffee and baked goods from their favourite bakery.

Tony was grateful, even Bucky knew that. Grateful for any distraction, so long as it didn’t take him away from Julie’s side. Bucky let his eyes drift down the length of the young woman’s body, hidden beneath the blankets. No one had seen her legs, other than Tony, he suspected, and the nurses. But Bucky wasn’t even sure Tony had honestly _seen_ her legs. Bucky knew they were bandaged, casts covering both, but he couldn’t figure out what the contraption hiding under the covers was.

Her legs looked bulky, _unnatural_ and he didn’t know why. He swallowed and carefully sought out the edge of the blanket, flesh and blood fingers skimming the edge before he’d lifted it, only a little. He realized belatedly that he was holding his breath and forced himself to let it out slowly. He shifted his stance, carefully lifting the blanket a bit more.

He stilled when part of her left thigh was revealed to him, encased in a white cast and-and there were-

There was a noise in the back of his skull, he realized, but it didn’t dawn on him what it was exactly. Not until Tony’s hand was wrapped around his wrist as he knelt on the other side of the bed, one foot planted firmly on the floor as he gripped Bucky’s wrist, the blanket still held tightly in his grasp. The genius’s other hand was cupping his cheek, his thumb rubbing circles there and he was talking, nearly shaking him as he tried to get Bucky’s attention.

Bucky’s brain finally caught up to what was happening and there was an ungodly noise that escaped _him_ then. He was sobbing, hot tears escaping him as he gasped out. “There are-there are _pins_ , Tony- _pins!_ ” He’d nearly shouted.

And Tony’s face had twisted pitifully as he nodded, pain in his weary confused gaze as he held Bucky’s face in both of his hands now. “I _know,_ Bucky, I know,” Tony breathed, tipping his head forward to rest against Bucky’s.

Bucky had cried then, more tears than Tony had ever seen him shed before. Back when Steve had found him, Bucky had cried for days but this was awful, just awful to watch him break down over someone he’d known for just under a year. Tony shook his head, rubbing the man’s cheeks as he tried to reassure him. Bucky had dropped the blanket, but the damage had been done. Bucky had the knowledge of what lie beneath the blanket Tony and the nurses worked studiously to keep in place and he-he wished that he didn’t.

There were black metal rods that ran vertically down her legs on either side of her thighs to keep them straight and there were-there were _rods_ or _pins_ as Bucky had called them that disappeared straight through the casts and Bucky _knew_ what that meant. Knew that they ran right-right _through-_

He gasped wetly and Tony held him, held him and talked him down, tried to tell him it was going to be okay, that she was going to be okay and that she would wake up and with hard work and determination, she would walk again and chase him around the living room and _dance_ with him in the studio back at the compound. And for the first time since walking into that hospital room nearly two weeks ago, Bucky wasn’t so sure he could believe that and that hurt, more than anything, that hurt.

 

.

 

Bucky ended up staying the rest of the night, making sure he sent Steve a message to let him know where he was so he wouldn’t worry. Tony and he sat on the spare bed, backs pressed up against the wall as they watched Julie sleeping, their eyes red-rimmed and sore from crying. If anyone were to walk in right then, there would have been no question as to whether they’d gotten any sleep. Tony shook his head mutely at the thought, hands shaking where they rested on his legs. He didn’t settle for a while and it wasn’t until Bucky leaned heavily against his side and placed his metal hand over top of his, that he finally willed his brain to shut off, just for a little while.

The rest of the night passed much the same and that's how Pepper, Rhodey and Steve found them the next morning. They slipped in with fresh coffee, muffins, pastries and understanding yet tired smiles on their faces as they shoved food at them. Tony should have known something was up when Pepper spent the first ten-minutes on her phone talking quickly yet quietly under her breath to whomever was on the other end and shooting Tony nervous glances every five-seconds. But Tony was _tired,_ so he’d not caught on fast enough.

“Tony-“ Pepper said gently, coming over to where he was staring out the window and cradling his precious cup of coffee like a lifeline.

Tony looked at her tiredly, but then he shifted, eyes narrowing. “What-“ He started to ask, but she didn’t give him a chance.

“I need you to go and take a shower, make yourself presentable and change into this suit-“ She said carefully, holding up a dry-cleaning bag.

Tony’s eyes widened. “And then I need you to come downstairs and actually go _outside_ so that we can give a small statement about-“

Tony’s jaw dropped open. “Are you _insane?_ ” He hissed. “I am _not_ leaving her, Pepper.”

Pepper’s jaw clicked shut for only a moment before she could help herself. “Tony, I don’t think you understand. This is not a request. You need to come with me to make a statement, I’ve set up a press conference-“

“A _press conference!?_ ” He shouted incredulously. “How can you be so cruel!?”

Pepper blinked at him, stepping back from him. Hurt flashed behind her eyes for an instant and Tony’s anger faltered. She turned away from him abruptly and Tony thought he’d _way_ over-stepped, but then she flicked on the small television on the wall and suddenly his face was plastered on the stupid tiny screen.

_“Who is Bailey O’Donnel and what in the hell is she doing with playboy Tony Stark? That’s the real question here-“_

Tony blinked, fight completely draining out of him as he watched the reporter start to plaster details of Julie’s life on the screen before going on to talk about her internship which they literally knew _nothing_ about. Just as quickly as they had started in on things they had zero knowledge about, they were going on to bad-mouth _Tony_ and how he was probably sleeping with her and _coerced_ her into his bed.

Then they started putting up the photographs.

Tony’s heart plummeted in his chest, taking shelter in his stomach. He swallowed when he saw the photos of them slipping out of the limo together in Malibu, slipping out of the hotel lobby together, Julie smiling at him fondly, Tony smiling at her adoringly. “Oh _God-_ “ Tony breathed, barely finding it within himself to make it to a chair.

Pepper frowned before flicking off the television. “The press is having a field day with this Tony and I need you to make a proper statement before this gets any more out of hand,” Pepper explained.

Tony nodded mutely, head turning to observe Julie again. His fists were clenched around the seat of the chair and he swallowed hard. “O-okay, I-okay,” He said again, the fight completely draining out of him.

Pepper visibly relaxed, reaching out to rub his shoulder in reassurance. “Okay, Tony. I-I’m sorry I-“

Tony shook his head, standing up and hugging her unexpectedly. “No, Pep. _I’m_ sorry. I-you’re not _cruel_. Not one bit. I’m sorry for-“

Pepper pulled back, silencing him with a shake of her head. “Don’t worry about it, Tony. Now, I need you to get ready. Can you do that?”

Tony nodded quietly, gaze pained and face twisted as he took the dry-cleaned suit she’d set over one of the chairs. “I’ll-I won’t be long,” He murmured, casting a look over his shoulder at Bucky, Steve and Rhodey who were hovering nervously at Julie’s bedside.

“I won’t be long-“ He said once more, looking down at Julie then.

He knew she would be safe here with them, he and Pepper could handle the conference on their own. He was sure she’d already put together what she wanted him to say, but he never was good at sticking to a script anyway. He wasn’t worried.

Pepper thought? _She_ was worried and rightly so.

 

.

 

By the time they’d gotten to where the conference was to be held _twenty-minutes_ **_away_** from the hospital, Tony was practically vibrating out of his seat, twitching every time his phone vibrated with a new message from Steve or Bucky whom he had _just_ texted, so _of course_ he would get a message back. He shouldn’t have been _surprised_ every damn time.

Pepper had a calming hand on his knee that just wouldn’t stop jumping and it helped, it did, but not nearly enough. Happy was driving, so there was that. He knew if he wanted to go back to the hospital Happy wouldn’t hesitate to take him, that was for damn sure. Pepper sighed softly from her seat next to him as they pulled up to a crowd of people gathered outside the building and Tony had the fleeting thought of stepping out and just giving them an earful, but Pepper’s gentle hand on his knee kept him seated.

“We’re going in through the garage, Tony. Don’t worry,” She murmured and sure enough, Happy pulled into the garage around the side and they slipped in through a very much private door.

The conference was to be live and apparently that meant that they had a few minutes to get themselves ready, so they had time to sit down, drink some water and waste more time-more time was _not_ what Tony needed to spend here. He waved off Pepper’s attempt to give him yet more water and instead tapped on his mic a few times to gather the attention of the other people in the large room. He didn’t care if they were ready or not. _He_ was.

There was easily thirty or forty people in the room and they all immediately quieted down when Tony cleared his throat, directly into the microphone. “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. But I’d like to get this show on the road.”

Everyone was immediately settled in their seats, recording devices held ready, cameras rolling. He swallowed, schooling his face into one of neutrality, something he’d become very good at over the years. “Hello everyone and good morning. I’m sorry to draw you all here so early, but Miss Potts insisted, so, _here we are-_ “ He admitted with a casual wave of his hand.

“I will not be answering any of your questions, this is merely me giving you an update in an attempt to quell the rumours about why I haven’t been in the public spotlight as of late. So, hold your tongues or I will have you thrown out. Understood?” He asked, tipping his chin down and observing the group over the rim of his sunglasses.

There was a chorus of soft murmurs and head nods which he acknowledged with a nod of his own. “Great, thank you,” He murmured, sitting back up properly in his chair, safely hidden behind his sunglasses.

“As you know, I was witness to a terrible accident nearly two weeks ago on the night of December 9th near The Royal Theatre. I was there that night because a very good friend of mine was performing in the ballet that night. You all know her name by now, I’m sure, as Bailey O’Donnel and I am sure you also know that she is a very talented and retired ballerina. What you have very little knowledge of is the fact that she is an intern of Stark Industries and has been for a little under a year now. She is a _wonderfully_ intelligent young woman who has become _very_ accomplished in her field, of which, I cannot fully disclose details because the research is strictly confidential at this time- _however-_ “ He went on.

“She is an _instrumental_ and _integral_ part of Stark Industries and our furthering development in our new Prosthetics Division and I can tell you with certainty that she is far more intelligent than I could ever give her enough credit for,” He took a deep breath then, gaze flickering over the crowd before him and taking in their curious gazes.

His phone lit up on the table with a new message from Rhodey and as such, the background image of he and Julie he’d taken when she’d fallen asleep on the plane to Malibu. His throat grew tight and he closed his eyes for the briefest of moments before continuing.

“A drunk driver hit her on the street outside of The Royal that night and she-she was gravely injured. She is recovering in hospital but remains in a coma while her body works to heal her injuries and I-“ Tony stopped then, staring into the cameras, the cellphones, the eyes of the reporters he didn’t want to bother remembering.

He shook his head, removing his sunglasses and allowing them to _see_ the pain reflected in his eyes, the redness there that no amount of makeup could quite cover. “I have loved this woman nearly from the moment I met her and I am absolutely _devastated_ that something as tragic as this has stolen her away from me. The callous rumours of what she is doing with me are disgusting and though I have literally watched less than two-minutes of television since the accident, those two-minutes were too much-“ He breathed.

“She doesn’t deserve to have her name _slandered_ because of me, because of my _reputation_ -“ He very nearly spat, laughing self-depracatingly. “And you know why?” He asked, looking out to the people around him.

No one said a word and he huffed softly. “Because she doesn’t even know that I’m in love with her. She doesn’t know that she stole my heart ten months ago when she said she had an idea, an idea that would change the prosthetics industry-would flip it on its head because of her love of people, her kindness and compassion and she-she might never wake up so that I can tell her-“ He whispered, his voice sounding broken down and tired for the first time since he’d started his speech.

“So if you want to bad-mouth someone, you bad-mouth me. Don’t you dare go dragging Julie’s good name through the mud just because she’s hanging around with me. Because she’s also hanging around with Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Black Widow, the Hulk, Hawkeye, Falcon, Spider-Man and Thor. So you’d best not judge a book by its cover. You don’t have all of the facts, but there’s a few to tide you over and I expect the lot of you to respect her privacy while she recovers or _so help me-_ “

Pepper’s hand on his forearm stopped him and he blew out a very slow breath. “That’s it then-“ He muttered, shifting in his seat before standing up abruptly. “I think we’re done here, because I have somewhere to be and it isn’t sitting here with all of you. Merry Christmas, you filthy animals-“

And then he was pushing himself from the room, Pepper hot on his heels several security guards along with Happy helping him escape the sudden throng of bodies and questions being hurtled towards him. He didn’t remember getting to the car, getting into it or the ride out of the garage. Blood was pounding in his ears. He’d just admitted to loving Julie to the world. He somehow wasn’t able to admit it to the woman he loved when she was smiling and looking at him with that happy twinkle in her eyes, but he was able to tell the whole fucking world. How in the fuck was this his life?

Needless to say, Pepper was pissed, but she did a great job of not showing it. Tony was allowed to be mad, she supposed. But he’d pretty well just threatened the paparazzi and the rest of the world to lay off or they’d have _The Avengers_ to deal with. Good _lord_ , what had he been _thinking?_ Oh well, it got the point across at the very least.

The ride back to the hospital was fairly uneventful, until they’d run into a bit of traffic caused by a small fender-bender and were forced to take a different way back. Tony was cranky about it, for all of a minute before he’d caught sight of a store as they stopped at a light.

“ _Hang on-_ “ He breathed, shifting in his seat before he was throwing open the car door and slipping out onto the sidewalk.

Pepper made a curious sound and Happy really had no choice but to pull over and put on his hazards. It wasn't exactly a parking spot he’d pulled in to. But Tony was already rushing up the steps to a storefront where the owner was just turning the sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’ and Tony looked pleadingly into the older woman’s eyes.

She stilled, sign turned and then opened the door to him. “Thank you-“ Was all Tony managed before he slipped inside, Pepper just managing to slip in too.

 

.

 

When they arrived back at the hospital, Tony cradling the present he’d bought in both of his arms, no one said a word to him as he slipped into the room. Sad relief washed over him at seeing Julie right where he left her.

He shed his jacket only after setting his parcel down carefully on one of the chairs before moving to open the white box. There was a gold sparkly ribbon wrapped snugly around it and he pulled it gently, watching it unravel in his hands before pushing it aside and slipping the box open. He swallowed hard, reaching in amongst the gold tissue paper and pulling out the softest white blanket he was pretty sure he’d ever come across.

Steve, Bucky, Pepper and Rhodey watched in quiet sorrow as Tony spread the blanket out over Julie still form so tenderly, making sure that she was covered from shoulder to toes, tucked in warm and _safe_ as he whispered, “Happy early Christmas, my love.”


	24. Twenty-Four

The next day is Christmas Eve and each and every Team member makes it out to see Julie and Tony that afternoon. It was a quiet affair, even with the entire group being squished into one room. There were a lot of hugs, ugly Christmas sweaters and baked goods, along with spiced lattes and egg-nog. The egg-nog was entirely virgin, if you asked Clint. He _swore_.

Tony barely touched any food that day, instead sipping on his caramel brulè latte that Steve had kindly brought him. It was cold now, just the last remaining dregs sitting in the bottom of the cup, but he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away. He stared down at the cup, reading the label on the side where the barista had written Steve’s name in cursive, letting Tony know that this was probably the only drink he’d gotten from there and it had been all for Tony.

He glanced across the room then from his perch at the edge of the spare bed to look for the blond only to find him was sitting quietly by Julie’s feet, right at the end of the bed and staring into the sleeping woman’s face. There was a weariness to his gaze that Tony recognized all too well whenever he saw it looking back at him when he’d find time to visit the bathroom.

He understood it all too well, too. Looking around the room at the others: the girls huddled in the doorway talking quietly, Bruce, Thor, Rhodey and Pepper sitting in chairs by the bathroom just _sitting_ staring at nothing but no doubt taking comfort in the groups presence. Peter and Bucky sitting on the floor against the opposite wall, heads tipped close together as they stared at their feet, he realized that they all wore very similar gazes and it pained him to see them going through this when it was supposed to be _Christmas_. He understood though, understood that the world could be a cruel place and didn’t care what day of the week it was or what holiday you were trying to celebrate.

Sam strolled back into the room then, a Starbucks cup in hand as he walked over to Steve’s side. He set his hand down on his friend’s shoulder and Steve shifted back a fraction to look up at him. “Here’s that latte you wanted, buddy-“ Sam murmured and Steve smiled and it was all kinds of tired but relieved and then he shook his head.

“Could you give it to Tony?” He whispered quietly and Tony was sure he wasn’t quite supposed to hear that.

Sam didn’t even bat an eye at that, simply patting Steve’s shoulder in understanding before walking around to the far side of the room where Tony sat. Tony pointedly looked away before Sam could catch him looking, but then he was standing beside him and carefully lifting the mostly empty cup from his hands. “Brought you a refill, Stark,” Sam murmured, placing the new latte on the windowsill for him.

Tony swallowed, looking up at him and nodding slowly. “Thanks, Sam,” He whispered, watching as he simply nodded before pulling away.

When Tony tried to surreptitiously get a quick look at Steve, he found the blond already smiling fondly at him. Tony nodded in his direction, slightly embarrassed at having been caught, but too tired to really care.

He looked around again at their friends, seeing them all so tired, so down and it pulled at his heart uncomfortably. “Y-you should all get out of here,” Tony blurted, fiddling with the cup now held safely in his hands.

The soft chatter of the group instantly ceased. “Tony?” Steve asked gently.

He shrugged, looking down at the latte. “You should go home, enjoy your Christmas Eve around a warm fire with a big dinner and-“ He pushed out a breath, shaking his head. “I know Julie would be so happy to know that you were all here for her, but she’d also be pissed if she found out you’d hung out here waiting for her to wake up on Christmas Eve-“ He admitted with a strained chuckle, looking up and forcing himself to meet their concerned gazes.

“Wouldn’t she be just as pissed if she knew that you had no intention on following through with your own advice?” Bucky asked him then.

Tony grinned wryly across at the man and it faltered slightly, turning a bit wobbly around the edges. He shrugged, the burning behind his eyes starting up again. “Oh, _definitely-_ “ He choked. “But if she’s going to be pissed at anyone for waiting around on her, I’d rather it be me.”

No one said anything for a few moments and Tony forced himself to stand up, making his way to thedoor. “Come on, guys. You should get out of here, head back to the compound, enjoy yourselves, eat more food and drink as much as you like, _hell-_ “ He laughed. “Go throw a party and _dance_ -“

“ _Tony-_ “ Steve murmured, having risen from his seat and was now staring at Tony nervously.

“She’d want you all to have fun, to enjoy yourselves. I’ll be fine here, _we’ll_ be fine here,” He amended, swallowing past the lump in his throat as he tried to hold Steve’s unwavering gaze.

“He’s right,” Bucky suddenly murmured, getting to his feet. “Julie would be pissy at us for waiting around on her, lord knows she’s told me enough time that she ain’t no damsel in distress, she wouldn’t want us wasti- _wastin’_ -“ He shook his head, his cheeks going hot as tears threatened to spill.

He could _never_ see their time spent at her bedside as _wasted time_. Not a single one of them could, but it didn’t stop it from getting his point across. “It’s okay, Buck,” Steve murmured, watching as Peter placed a reassuring hand on Bucky’s metal shoulder, squeezing him gently for support.

“Bucky gets it-“ Tony breathed, unable to look at his friends anymore as they stated shifting quietly around the room, some towards him, some towards Julie.

Pepper and Rhodey tried to persuade him to come back to the compound but he was adamant on staying. They quickly realized he wasn’t going to budge and quietly said their goodbye’s to him and the rest of the group before giving Julie one last lingering look and slipping out the door.

The girls, Thor, Bruce, Clint and Natasha said their good byes and Tony purposefully didn’t watch them as they approached Julie’s bedside. He could hear them though and that was almost worse. Once they’d left, Sam slipped out not long after with a quiet, ‘merry Christmas’ and all that remained was Peter, Steve and Bucky.

When Peter approached Julie’s bedside, Tony found that he couldn’t _not_ look. Peter was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with an oddly familiar grey _Roots_ sweatshirt. He was pretty sure it was one of Julie’s if he was being honest with himself. But what he hadn’t noticed upon first glance, were the gold sparkly _Uggs_ he wore on his feet. And they definitely weren’t one of the dozen pairs of Julie’s as he knew he’d never seen them before. His mouth opened in surprise and it wasn’t until Peter pressed a kiss to the sleeping woman’s hand and then turned to head in his direction, that Tony finally managed to pull himself out of it.

“Nice boots-“ He breathed, giving Peter’s feet a purposeful glance.

Peter smiled almost shyly, glancing down at the boots in question before his lips quirked up a bit more. “Thanks, they’re super comfy, uh-“ He cleared his throat slightly. “There might be a matching pair for Julie back at the compound.”

Tony chuckled under his breath, giving the young man a genuine smile. “I’m sure she’ll love them.”

Peter eyed him quietly for a moment before he murmured a merry Christmas to him, patting the older man on the shoulder before heading towards the door. Tony would later discover that there was a pair of Uggs waiting at home for him, too…along with the rest of the Team; all in their favourite colours, of course. Courtesy of one Peter Parker.

When the room fell near silent once again, Tony looked up to find Steve and Bucky’s gazes on him as they stood at Julie’s bedside; one on either side of her. Tony tried to look away, unable to take the sadness in their eyes, but found he couldn’t. “Listen, you guys should really get out of here before they leave you here to find a cab. You’ll be stuck here for hours if you don’t catch a ride with Happy and the others-“

Steve sighed and it sounded so long suffering that it made Tony pause for a beat. “When are you going to stop worrying about everyone else and start taking care of yourself?”

Tony chuckled, but it was half-hearted at best. “Ah, well, you know me-“

“Yeah-“ Bucky sighed. “We do, Tony. Why don’t you come back to the compound with us? I-we don’t want to leave you alone-“

“I’m not alone-“ He quickly defended, bristling. “I’m here with Julie because _she_ shouldn’t be alone on Christmas Eve, so just-just _go-_ “ He tried, the fight draining from him as he started towards Julie’s bedside.

They were silent for a moment and then Tony felt the solid weight of Bucky’s metal hand resting on his shoulder and he swore he could feel a warmth radiating through his thin t-shirt. He was secretly grateful for the comforting touch and couldn’t stop himself from leaning into it. “We could stay too,” Steve offered, watching the pair.

Tony shook his head, stepping out from under Bucky’s hand and leaning over Julie, gently brushing her hair back with his fingertips. “We’ll do alright on our own.”

Short of picking him up carrying him out of there kicking and screaming, Tony wasn’t leaving. So, with a final murmured goodbye, merry Christmas, two soft kisses for Julie and two hugs for Tony, the soldiers slipped from the room.

Tony stayed standing by her bedside for a long moment before he forced himself to sit back down in the chair on her left side, grabbing one of the blankets scattered around the room and his latte as well before making himself as comfortable as he could manage.

He let his gaze travel back to the sleeping woman, her face so still, her mouth slack around the breathing tube. He was frowning so hard he knew he’d have a few new wrinkles when this was all said and done. But it didn’t matter. He closed his eyes and wrapped the blanket tighter about himself before reaching out and adjusting Julie’s.

The white throw he’d bought her was still sitting atop one of the other blankets and he let his fingers brush back and forth over the soft fabric, swallowing past the lump in his throat as he settled back into his chair; latte soon forgotten on the little table beside them as he slipped off into a fitful sleep.

.

When Julie wakes up, Tony is asleep.

It was like swimming through syrup, she’d later tell Peter, like being pulled out of a very deep sleep abruptly and yet not abruptly at all. Her awareness came back in stages, not all at once. It felt like a slow rise up through the muddled depths of her mind and it wasn’t exactly disconcerting, just _different._

She could hear sounds in the room, a quiet beeping, the soft inhale and exhale of someone close by. Her eyelids twitched, trying to open, trying to see. She felt her fingertips twitch too, trying to feel. She breathed in slow, but deep and finally blinked open her eyes.

Her lashes fluttered as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the room. She was certain it was a room, but hadn’t gotten farther than that. Her mind still felt muddled, hazy, as she turned her head to the side, trying to make out the room, trying to understand where she was; if she was alone or if there was someone there. She could hear breathing, but it didn’t sound like her own.

And then she saw Tony.

The genius was sitting up in a chair, though slumped over to his right, head resting precariously on his hand as his elbow danced on the edge of the armrest. He was sleeping, his brows drawn together slightly, lips parted and she could see a sheen on his chin that she was sure would be drool. She gazed at him fondly, every other thought about wondering where she was or what was happening disappearing for a moment. She didn’t really care, because Tony was there with her.

And that was-that was-so, _so_ nice.

Unfortunately the spell didn’t last nearly as long as she’d have liked. She felt peaceful looking at him, taking in the lines of his face, the slope of his nose, the way his temples seemed to be lightened with a bit more grey than she recalled. His breaths were slow and steady, _easy_ and she revelled in the sound for a moment. So of course, that was when Tony woke up.

His elbow slipped and he inhaled sharply at the sudden jolt his body took as he startled himself awake. He couldn’t even begin to count how many times that had happened over the last couple of weeks, so it wasn’t exactly a new sensation. He sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose, shaking out the remnants of his sleep addled state. Then he looked up.

Julie’s bright blue eyes were shining back at him in the near darkness of the room, only the light of the moon from the window illuminating her features. Tony was frozen, lips parting as his eyebrows climbed practically into his hairline. His breath left him forcefully as if someone had stomped on his chest. He didn’t know what to do, what to say, how to react.

He leaned forward, some part of his brain screaming at him to reach out to her to make sure that she was okay. Her eyes crinkled then, right at the corners and Tony shook his head in disbelief. She was trying to smile. She was trying to smile _at him_. “ _Julie-_ “ It was barely audible, a wisp of air escaping his suddenly overeager lungs as oxygen flooded back into him in such a rush he felt lightheaded with it.

The crinkles around her eyes only deepened at this and then she was reaching out to him, her shaking left hand entirely too weak as she barely managed to lift it from the blankets tucked around her. Tony inhaled deep, so deep, as he reached out and lifted it delicately himself, unable to stop from pressing it against his stubbled cheek. He needed to feel her, feel the life in her.

Her long nimble fingers twitched lightly against his face as she tried to caress him. She didn’t understand why he looked so tired, so sad yet relieved. His deep brown eyes were nearly brimming over with tears, but she couldn’t understand why. She couldn’t understand why he would ever be looking at her like that in the first place.

He blinked back a few tears that were trying to escape and she brushed the pad of her thumb beneath his tired eye, the tips of her fingers brushing the slight curls at his temple. She tried to speak then, wanting to ask him if he’d skipped a hair appointment with all the streaks of grey littering his temples, but nothing came out but a garbled wheeze.

Her brows furrowed in confusion and Tony’s face pinched up as he reached out to her with his other hand. She felt his careful fingertips against her cheek, the edge of her mouth and then there was something distinctly inorganic pulled from her lips. She gagged slightly, unable to help herself as he pulled whatever it was from her mouth, he wouldn’t let her see it as he pushed it aside, but she wasn’t interested in that, she just-she needed to say his name.

She didn’t get the chance to.

“Oh, _Julie-_ “ Tony whispered, gaze flickering over her features, her hand still pressed to his cheek while his own cradled hers.

Her fingers twitched towards his hairline again and she huffed out a soft breath as she shakily carded her fingers through his hair. She didn’t understand why she thought this behaviour was okay. They’d never touched like this before. He’d never shown her care like this. She didn’t understand it, but it felt so _right_. So when she brushed his greying edges once more and smiled at him, slow, sweet and a bit wobbly and then murmured, “You’re getting a bit grey around the edges, Mr. Stark,” It was if it was the most natural thing in the world to her.

Her voice had been hoarse and scratchy, soft and barely audible, but Tony heard it. Oh, did he ever. He laughed and it was strangled and sharp, short, but it was a great sound, so full of desperate relief and _joy_ , joy at having this woman awake and alive and _here._

He opened his mouth to tell her so, tell her how happy he was that she was awake and tell her-tell her that he _loved her, Julie I love you so much-_

But the slow change of her dopey yet fond expression as it shifted into uncertainty and confusion right before his eyes, stopped him in his tracks. She was staring at the back of her hand. The back of her hand where there was an IV line and the nasty nearly green and yellow bruising from when they’d first put it in.

Her lips parted as if to ask a question and Tony was ready, he was ready to console her, tell her that everything was going to be alright, that everything was going to be okay and that he was here for her, they were all _here for_ ** _her_.** But he couldn’t get it out fast enough.

It was then that the rest of Julie’s mind started to catch up to her body. The slow ache she’d felt in her temples was creeping steadily into her entire being, permeating it with a pain she didn’t understand. A pain she hadn’t noticed until now but was so brutal she didn’t know how she had missed it in the first place. She groaned and the sound was alien to her own ears, a deep agonal _wounded_ sound as pain swept over her and seemed to radiate from every inch of her body.

Her hand released Tony’s cheek and if he hadn’t had the wherewithal to catch it, it would have landed on where the needle was pressed into her skin. She shuddered and tried to sit up, breath coming in quick pants as Tony leaned over her to try and still her movements, whispering to her in an attempt to calm her, console her. She was shaking and gasping for air now, trying to reach out to Tony with both hands but finding she couldn’t and instead was rewarded with her right arm screaming out at her with a grinding sort of pain that brought terror to her still muddled brain.

“Shh- _shh_ , Julie-“ Tony pleaded. “It’s okay, you’re okay, please just rest, just relax. I’m here, I’m here-“ He pleaded over and over again, finally back into his own mind enough to smack the panic button over Julie’s bedside; the steady green light blinking to red almost furiously at him.

“ _Tony-Tony-_ “ She was gasping and her breaths were pained, her body shaking so badly now and Tony cried, he did.

Watching her struggle and try to get up, watching her realize that she couldn’t. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, she was looking down at her blanket covered legs and asking him over and over again why she couldn’t _move_ , _why can’t I-? Tony, tell me why can’t I-?_ And Tony cried, hot angry tears sliding down his cheeks as he pressed his face against the side of her neck and tried to calm her down.

By the time the nurses came to them, a doctor hot on their heels, Julie was crying, _wailing_ as she went limp against the bed and in his hold, no longer fighting, no longer struggling, just awash in her pain. One of the nurses suddenly had him by the elbow, trying to gently lead him away as they stuck a needle into Julie’s neck, but he jerked away from them and stumbled back out of the room.

He could hear the nurses and doctor talking to Julie, trying to calm her down and it was working, the soft sobs and hiccuping breaths winding down to low whimpers. But it may have been the pain medication they no doubt gave her too.

He could hear them telling her that she’d been in an accident, that she was going to be alright. That she was going to recover and that she was alive and in hospital recovering from her injuries. She was _safe_ and Tony wept, sliding down the wall opposite her bedroom door, head falling into his hands as he cried and hated himself, hated himself for not being the one to have told her that she was safe, that he would keep her safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sadness..really, I am. It's been a really rough week for me but I'm going to try and write one more small chapter in the next day or two for you. It's a chapter I hadn't anticipated writing, but you'll understand when I upload it later. Hope you still like me and my story. :laughs: Hopefully I haven't scared any one away. <3


	25. Twenty-Five

Tony sat, practically folded in on himself in the hallway for what felt like a long while. The doctor and nurses were still in Julie’s room, the door just barely left ajar for him to be able to hear some of what they were saying. He felt as if he were in a state of shock of his own, listening to the way Julie’s breaths hitched and she stumbled over words, half-formed questions and the like. It was hard to listen to, listen to the fear and panic in her voice, the pain.

Tony was so deep in thought, he almost missed the soft sound of bare feet on the floor not five feet away from him. “Hey-“ A woman’s voice floated towards him.

Tony lifted his head, not recognizing the owner of said voice and turned to his right to see a young woman, no older than 20 staring back at him with concern in her darkened gaze. Tony swallowed, wiping at his teary eyes and clearing his throat.

“Sorry if I woke you-“ He started to apologize, but the woman clicked her tongue at him and he stilled.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t sleeping. But I heard-“ She sighed softly shaking her head and Tony frowned, looking away from her, knowing that she’d heard him crying.

“Ah-sorry to have disturbed you-“

“You didn’t-not really-“ She amended, taking a half-step out of the doorway she’d been hiding in.

Tony looked back up at the woman. She was clad in only a dressing gown and her long dark hair was bundled up in a bun on the top of her head. She looked tired and a bit sad, but she didn’t look ill, per say, but that didn’t always explain things.

“I was wondering if you wanted a hug,” She murmured. “I heard about your friend on the TV, it’s-it’s really terrible what happened and I’m sorry-“

Tony blinked at her, eyes round and curious and thankful. “Thank you-“ He started sincerely and then, “But I can manage without a hu-“

She huffed a soft laugh then, looking down at her hands as they twisted around something, something that looked an awful lot like a leash. “Not from me, silly. From Harley,” She murmured, giving the leash a gentle tug.

Tony blinked dumbly as a giant yellow Labrador retriever pranced out of the room and stood at the woman’s feet. “This is Harley, Harley, this is Mr. Stark-“

“ _Tony-_ “ He corrected, smiling at the dog before looking back up at the young woman. “You can call me, Tony.”

The young woman flushed lightly and nodded. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tony. I’m Michelle and this is my dog, Harley.”

Tony smiled at her and it was far more wobbly than he liked, but he couldn’t help it. “It’s nice to meet you too, Michelle…so, how’d you manage to persuade the nurses to let you keep him here?”

Michelle laughed lightly, shrugging as she looked down at the dog. “It’s Christmas Eve?” She tried, but then smiled. “He’s actually my service dog. He helps to detect when I’m going to have a seizure and helps me through them.”

Tony’s face fell instantly. “I’m so sorry.”

Michelle smiled sincerely at him then, shaking her head. “Nothing for you to be sorry about. It’s actually why I’m here in hospital. I have surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning to remove a small tumour to see if it will help.”

Tony nodded, gaze flicking down to Harley who was now sitting obediently at her feet. “Did you want that hug?” She asked a beat later.

Tony glanced back up at her then and gave her a nervous smile. “Is that okay?”

Michelle beamed at him then, unclipping the lead from Harley’s collar and motioning towards the pup. “He gives the best hugs,” She insisted.

Tony sat up a bit more, watching as the pup eagerly trotted over towards him. It had been a long time since he’d pet a dog and this one looked so dopy and friendly. He smiled through his unshed tears and reached out to put the pup’s head, the softness of his nearly white fur so nice under his calloused fingertips. He exhaled hard when the dog pushed up against his hand and then pressed his front right up against him. He had no other choice but to wrap his other arm around the dog to steady them both so he didn’t bowl him over.

He choked on his own laughter, Michelle’s soft chuckle reaching his ears and then he gave in, closing his eyes and holding onto Harley tightly. The dog seemed to love the attention, pushing harder against him until he was practically in his lap, all 90lbs of him. Tony discovered that his ears were the softest thing he’d ever felt, his nose was a bit cool and startling wet, his paws were huge and a little bit clumsy and that he gave the best doggy-kisses Tony had ever been on the receiving end of.

He buried his face in the crook of Harley’s neck, breathing in the scent of mostly clean dog and chuckled wetly against his fur as he held on for dear life. Receiving a doggy version of a hug was all kinds of rewarding and Tony wished he could hug him forever and never let go.

Eventually he pulled back, hands wound in the dog’s white scruff at his neck, giving him a good scratch while he held him close. He managed to pull back enough to see Michelle watching him quietly, looking tired and happy and grateful herself and Tony knew it was because she had such a wonderful companion in Harley.

He patted the top of the pup’s head and then smoothed his hand down his ear one more time, just to feel the softness, before letting him go and motioning towards Michelle. “You’d better go and tuck your partner in crime back into bed, Mr. Harley,” He joked, smiling as Michelle’s tired smile turned a bit bigger, the sparkle in her eye lighting up that much more.

“Come on, Harley,” She murmured, patting her thigh and the dog was instantly by her side again nosing at her hand.

Tony watched her with him, clipping his lead back on before motioning towards her room. “I should really get back to bed,” She murmured.

Tony nodded, looking after her quietly for a beat. “Thank you, Michelle. A dog’s love is always unconditional and I’m lucky to have felt it, even if it was just for a moment. So thank you for that and…Merry Christmas,” He managed to get out, his smile turned watery and his eyes filling with tears.

Michelle nodded, looking him over for a beat. “You’re welcome, Tony…are you going to be alright?”

Tony nodded seriously. “Of course, you should get some sleep. Thank you again.”

Michelle nodded once again, glancing back into her room where Tony knew Harley must be waiting patiently for her at the end of his lead. “Merry Christmas, Tony, to you and your friend.”

Tony murmured a good night thereafter and watched as the young woman disappeared into her room as quietly as she had come into his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was completely unplanned. I lost my dog this week and it was really hard on me, I'm still a disaster and I don't know how long I'll be like this, but the answer is probably a long while. Harley was 13 years, 2 months and 8 days old when he passed on Tuesday night. He was a loving dog who gave the best kisses and hugs and stunk to high-heaven and back, but I loved him. I love him and I miss him and it's awful, but I know it's a part of life. The time he was here with me was so special and my family and our home will miss him greatly. Coming through the door at the end of my work day and not having him bark my ears off is hard on me and knowing that I won't get to laugh at him practically bouncing because he's so happy to see me is awful. But he's at peace and I hope he knows that I loved him very much, every inch the dork he was. 
> 
> So this chapter is dedicated to my love, Harley. May he rest in peace with our oldest pup, Aspen. <3 I love you buddy and miss you just as much as I miss our Aspen. xoxo
> 
> P.S. His ears were really the softest thing I have ever had the privilege of touching.


	26. Twenty-Six

Tony’s gaze drifted back to Julie’s door where her nurse, Kaley, had slipped out. She swallowed hard, looking across at him as she stepped out into the hallway a bit more. “Mr. Stark?” She murmured.

Tony stared up at her from his spot on the floor and tried to shake himself out of his odd stupor. “Yeah?”

She shifted slightly, closing the door over behind her. “Miss O’Donnel is resting now. The doctor is just taking a few vitals and we will be running some tests come morning. Jasper and I are to do bloodwork as per usual as well.”

Tony nodded, pushing out a rough breath before getting to his feet. “Alright, just- _resting_ -“

“Yes, Mr. Stark. She is out of a coma and is reacting well to our questions. We sedated her before you’d left and now she is under a steady course of pain medication- _morphine-_ “ She explained calmly.

Calmly, because Tony looked like a startled deer at the moment. “So she’s…”

“ _Comfortable-_ ” Kaley told him gently. “She is as comfortable as we can make her right now. She can control her pain medication, though the dosages are set and won’t allow her to over-do it. It’s there when she needs it. We asked her some base questions to identify what kind of feeling she has, but right now, we don’t know enough. It’ll probably be a couple of days before she can work past the pain she’s feeling and give us some proper insight as to whether or not she is able to feel…everything as she should.”

Tony nodded, swallowing hard. “Right, okay.”

Kaley watched him, scrutinizing him, he knew. His hand twitched at his side and she sighed. “When she wakes up next time, there’s no guarantee that she will remember all we’ve told her, but we believe she was lucid enough to understand the majority of it.”

Tony nodded, glancing back at the door as Jasper and the doctor, Herschel-Tony recalled his name now-slipped out into the hallway. They spoke quietly to him then, and Tony knew he was being treated with kid gloves and really, he ought to care, but he really couldn’t. Not when he felt seconds away from shattering into a million tiny pieces.

Kaley, Jasper and Herschel slipped past him and Tony was left alone in the stillness of the hallway. He could see a light on in Julie’s room and he forced himself to walk towards it. It was late and she was supposed to be resting. He needed to turn it off. It was an unreasonable thought to have, knowing she was already sleeping, already so far under thanks to the sedative and painkillers that a little bit of light wasn’t going to wake her.

He slipped into the room and shut out the light, eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness, his gaze falling to Julie. She was eerily still once again, the steady rise and fall of her chest a little more pronounced with her deeper breaths. She no longer had the awful tube in her mouth, the ones from her nose also having been removed.

She didn’t look as peaceful now as she had whilst in a coma; her brows slightly pinched and face looking taught with pain. He hoped she didn’t feel any pain. They had assured him that she was being given something for it, but he wasn’t so sure it was only physical pain he was seeing reflected in her features.

He stood there in the doorway for what felt like hours, but he knew it was only mere minutes. He finally managed to make his legs work, despite the fact that they felt like lead. He went to take his preferred seat at her bedside, but rather than sit in it, he very nearly fell into the damned thing. He swallowed hard, leaning forward heavily, elbows braced on his knees.

He lifted his head slowly to look across the bed at Julie’s frame. Still sleeping, just _resting_. His brain reminded him. She would probably wake up in a couple of hours again, when the sedative had worn off and the pain meds would need to be re-administered. He noted that her hand was curled around what looked like a small handheld push-button and followed the cord to a second IV pole that he knew would contain morphine.

He pushed out a slow breath, gaze flickering back over her features. She was awake, technically sleeping right this second, but she was awake. He glanced over at his phone lying innocently on the side table before reaching for it. He opened up his link to Jarvis and then hesitated. He hadn’t spoken to Jarvis since he’d left to watch Julie that night…

He swallowed, looking down at the screen and their communication channel. He typed out a message. _She’s awake. We don’t know anything yet, but please wait to tell the Team until morning._ He shook his head and was instantly given a reply. **_Of course, Sir. I will let them know she is out of a coma as soon as they are all awake. It is good to hear from you, Sir._**

Tony closed his eyes for a brief moment. _It’s good to hear from you too, buddy. I miss you guys. Keep the Team safe and I’ll try and remember to keep you updated. Say hi to the bots for me._ He replied and then lowered his phone, only glancing back at the too-bright screen when he saw the AI’s response. **_We miss you as well, Sir, and I will do my best. Stay with her._**

Tony closed his eyes, struggling with himself for a moment. He felt guilty for not reaching out to Jarvis, but Steve had assured him that the compound was safe and Jarvis was handling everything as per usual, with or without him there. Jarvis was his creation and he knew the Team could count on him just as much as Tony could. They were safe under his protection and Julie-well, Julie was safely within arms reach and that’s what Tony forced himself to focus on.

He reached out to her then, phone now forgotten on the table once again. He ran the back of his fingers against her bared hand, the one wrapped loosely around the remote and wondered what would happen when she woke up. If she would remember, if she would cry, if she would reach out to him and let him hug her. He frowned, brows pinched in worry. Would she remember the accident? Would she know that he had been there?

He shook his head after a beat, grabbing the back of it and burying his hands in his hair. He stayed like that for a minute before he bent over, pushing his forehead against the bedcovers. He turned his cheek into the bedding and closed his eyes, willing his brain to stop, even if for only a moment. He needed quiet, to not _think_. Just for once.

.

Tony awoke a few hours later, the sunlight from the windows illuminating what he could see of the hospital room. He swallowed, still feeling sleepy and all kinds of sluggish as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Then he felt it; a gentle caress, a hand carding through his hair.

He inhaled sharply at the realization and the hand immediately stilled, delicate fingers wound through his dark locks remaining there. He swallowed hard and swore he heard Julie mirror him. He tried to sit up then, but she made a soft distressed sound and he stilled. “Stay,” She murmured and he did, stilling immediately.

“ _Julie_ -“ He breathed, closing his eyes and trying to hold back the tears that rushed forth.

Julie’s shaky exhale was all he received in response for a moment, her fingers resuming their gentle exploration through his messy curls. His hair had grown longer than he usually let it, but he hadn’t really had the time to get it cut as of late. He inhaled slowly, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Julie’s hand pushed some of the hair away from his temples and he knew she was probably looking atthe few extra grey hairs at his temple, but really couldn’t care at this point because her nails were scratching against his scalp and that wasn’t something he had felt in weeks. He didn’t realize it right away, but he’d shut his eyes tightly in that moment and Julie’s hand stilled once again.

“You’re shaking,” She whispered, her voice hoarse with disuse as her fingertips ghosted lower, down along the back of his neck.

Tony shifted then, reaching up to grip the blanket hanging over the edge of the bed. His next breath in was ragged and desperate and Julie withdrew her hand. Tony’s body reacted instinctively to the loss and he sat up, careful not to jostle her as he did so. He very well stopped breathing when he finally looked at her.

Her eyes were glossy and red, glazed over with tears and he could see her pupils dilated, nearly wiping the blueness of her eyes entirely and knowing that she was high on morphine. “I-“ Tony started, but his voice was barely above a whisper, so choked it was barely recognizable.

Julie’s brows pinched slightly, worry marring her features as Tony looked at her. She shook her head sadly as Tony struggled, fought with himself to speak and not stumble all over himself. “I thought I lost you-“ He finally managed to breathe.

It came out too harshly, too loud in the quiet of the room and desperate, so, _so_ desperate. Julie’s breathing hitched at the confession, the raw emotion wrought in those five words washing over her like an ocean’s wave. Tears slipped from her then, wetting her cheeks and she gasped at the sudden onslaught of feeling his words evoked.

“ _Tony-_ “ She whispered, blinking past the tears as she reached for him. “I’m here- ‘m okay-“

Her words were heavy and thick as she tried to lean forward towards him, but he quickly sat forward and as carefully as possible, urged her to lie back. “I know, Julie. I-I know,” He murmured. “You’re here and you’re safe and I’ve got you- _we’ve_ -got you-“

She nodded stiffly, still crying as she struggled to form words, proper ones like _thank you_ and _I’m sorry I worried you-_ but nothing would come out so she just clung to him with her one hand, mindful of her broken collarbone. She’d spoken to the doctors earlier, she knew that much, but she couldn’t remember all they’d told her. She still had questions and that was the first thing she finally managed to get out.

“H-how long have I been here?” She asked, voice nothing but a hoarse whisper.

Tony pulled back enough to look at her. “A little over two weeks, it’s December 25th. You were hit by a drunk driver after the ballet. Do-do you remember anything from that night?”

She closed her eyes then, thinking back hard to the night. She could barely even remember the performance, let alone leaving. She shook her head. “I don’t remember much of anything, it’s all sort of fuzzy,” She explained.

Tony nodded, hand slipping up to brush back her hair and then smoothing it over in hopes of comforting her. “That’s alright,” He murmured, voice choked as he regarded her. “The doctors said you might not remember the details at first, maybe even not at all. So that’s okay.”

She nodded slowly, letting this sink in before she was letting her gaze flick over Tony’s features. Noting the dark circles under his eyes, the puffy skin there, the taught lines of his face and the way his facial hair didn’t quite seem as meticulously styled as it usually was. She swallowed hard. “Ha-have you been here this whole time?”

Tony’s brows pinched up in concern and he looked away momentarily. This was it, this was where he could tell her. Where he could tell her that he hadn’t left her side save to shower and give that stupid press conference and maybe slip in that he loved her, that he loved her and wanted to be with her and that he’d _always_ loved her. She deserved to know, especially now. He turned his gaze back to her only to find her looking back at him with sad fury reflected in her deep blue orbs, glazed over with tears.

“You’re an idiot, Tony Stark. A genius, but nevertheless an idiot-“ She started but shook her head as she looked away from him, unable to get out the rest of whatever she had intended to say.

Tony shook his head, baffled as he stared at her for a long moment, taking in a slow, shaky breath. “An idiot who is irrevocably in love with-“

“A _cripple_ -” She interrupted harshly, her left hand slipping from where it had been clutching the front of his shirt for dear life, burying into the white blanket draped over her.

Tony’s mouth opened, a furious string of expletives on the tip of his tongue. But the anger surrounded him, choked him up before he could say anything else, because there was Steve and Bucky in the doorway, panting from their no doubt sprint to the hospital, pained expressions on their worried faces and he could hear the rest of the Team shouting down the hallway, the sound of heavy footfalls as they rushed towards Julie’s room.

Tony closed his eyes, willing the anger away before tugging the woman’s hand free of the blankets as gently as possible. She wouldn’t look at him until he raised her knuckles to his lips and pressed a kiss there. He could see the sadness, the anger and _hurt_ in her eyes and he wanted to take it all away. She didn’t deserve to feel like this. He shook his head, holding her gaze.

“You are no cripple, Julie. You are so strong and you’re going to come out of this on the other side stronger than ever, you’ll see,” He told her, swallowing past the awful lump in his throat.

She shook her head, pulling her hand from his grasp and looking away out the window. “You’re a fool.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, okay. I did that. Sorry. Honestly, I am. She's going to struggle and Tony is going to do his best to be there for her and it's not going to be easy, just forewarning you, but it will get better. <3 Love you guys, thanks for sticking with me on this. 
> 
> On a side note, if you'd like to talk to me about fan fiction, marvel and stuff, my stories obviously included, I recently joined Discord and my screen name is starbucksjunkie#9171 and I would absolutely love some friends on there. <3


	27. Twenty-Seven

Four days. Four _miserable_ days Tony let Julie wallow in her self-pity. And it was four days too much for him to handle. But he had to let her, he had to let her work it out. He had hoped that she’d work herself out of it with the Team’s and his help, but no matter how many times the girls came by or the guys and tried to talk to her about it, about the way she _continued_ to talk _down_ about herself, it didn’t appear that she was going to stop.

And Tony had had just about enough of it. Over the last few days Julie had spent a lot of time sleeping and the time where she was awake, she was in a fair bit of pain, but did her best to cover it. She barely spoke, keeping mostly quiet whilst whoever was visiting talked to her about this and that. She shot down any and all attempts at making plans once she was out of the hospital and that tended to upset everyone. It was as if she was trying to cut herself out of their plans, their _lives_ even.

They didn’t like it and although most of them tried to be nice when she cut them off or ignored their questions, it was stressing every body out and Tony had had just about enough. Every one had been kind, trying to just let Julie acclimatize to everything and forgive her for her small outbursts, but Tony was at his wits end with it all.

So, it had been four long and utterly _miserable_ days of this and Tony had had enough.

It was just after the dinner hour and the nurse had just left, Tony slipping in from the hallway where he’d been asked to wait. The nurses came every couple of hours to help Julie with her…well, just about everything really and Tony was always respectful of her privacy and would step outside the room to give her some space.

So when he stepped back inside to find Julie adjusting the blankets, looking uncomfortable and flustered, her cheeks slightly flushed, it wasn’t what he had expected exactly. “I hate this-“ She muttered before she had realized Tony had stepped back into the room.

He stopped, hands on the door as he closed it over. “What’s wrong?” He asked curiously, glancing worriedly towards her.

Julie startled a bit at his voice and flushed even darker as she looked first to him and then down at her hand as she fiddled with the blanket. Tony quirked a brow at her and listened to the angry grumble in her voice as she muttered under her breath again. Tony’s brows pinched in concern as she shifted awkwardly on the bed, still fiddling with the blankets. “Hmm?” He prompted again and was surprised when Julie huffed, pinning him with nothing short of a murderous _glare_.

“Uh-“ Tony started eloquently.

Julie continued to glare at him and then grumbled under her breath and Tony came towards the foot of the bed. “What’s wrong?” He asked her once more and he maybe sort of really wished he hadn’t pushed, although, he would be thankful for it later.

“What’s _wrong?_ ” Julie spluttered, looking up at him in disbelief. “You want to know what’s _wrong?_ ” She whisper hissed and Tony swallowed, standing up a bit straighter.

He forced himself to nod.

She took a deep shaky breath in and then let it out slowly. “What’s _wrong_ -“ She breathed. “Is that I can’t bathe myself, Tony. I can’t bathe myself or wash my hair, I can’t wash my face or brush my teeth like a normal person without the help of a nurse. I can’t-I can’t go to the bathroom or- _or-_ “ Her cheeks heated so thoroughly then and Tony thought she might actually spontaneously combust right then and there. “I can’t even take care of myself when I’m on my fucking _period_ -“ She spat and there was a hysterical note to her voice that made Tony’s insides twist up.

“ _Julie-_ “ He murmured, sorry that he’d pushed her at all.

He only wanted to help and he knew he would in _any_ _way_ he possibly could. So of course the next words out of his mouth sounded perfectly normal to him in his own head, apparently not quite the same when spoken aloud. “I could help you with any of that-“ He blurted, a bit quieter than he intended.

Julie stilled, stopping in her small tirade to just _stare_ at him. “Pardon me?” She whispered.

Tony cleared his throat slightly, blinking as he looked at her. “I could help you with all of that, Julie. Anything you need, I’d be happy to help,” He said, feeling so sure of himself and with absolutely _zero_ hesitation.

She blinked at him slowly for a beat and then her eyes narrowed. Tony felt as if he were a bug being pinned under a magnifying glass. He swallowed hard. “You’d be… _happy_ to… _help me…_ with _all_ of that-“ She reiterated.

Tony nodded. “Of course-” He blurted before he could stop himself. “I would have no problem giving you a sponge bath, or washing your hair. I can put the toothpaste on your toothbrush, I could give you a facial-like an _actual_ facial- _I mean-_ with _water_ and a _cleanser-_ “ He hastily added. “I could bring you ice cream, maybe some chocolate or some cake or pie and I could help you to the bathroom too-“

Julie took a deep, steadying breath and Tony cut himself off. “Help me to the bathroom-“ She said calmly.

Tony swallowed, standing up straighter and not letting his gaze waver in the slightest. “Help you to the bathroom. Wipe your-“

“ _Tony-_ “ She admonished, eyes widening in surprise and her cheeks still flushed.

“ _What?!_ ” Tony defended, throwing his hands up in the air. “I would!”

Julie stared at him with wide eyes, disbelief written all over her face. “You can’t possibly be serious-“

“As a heart attack-“ He quipped back and Julie’s mouth shut so hard and so fast Tony was sure he heard the gnashing of her teeth.

He shrugged, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively for a beat before dropping them. “I would _happily_ wipe your ass for you, Miss O’Donnell,” He insisted, bracing his hands against the bed rail by her feet.

Julie’s cheeks were positively beat red, her bright blue eyes wide and disbelieving. “I would do just about anything for you, Julie. You have to know that by now,” He told her earnestly.

Julie shook her head, brows pinching in concern. “But I don’t-“ She shook her head again harder this time. “How could- _why_ would-“

Tony’s gaze softened and he shook his head at the woman. “I would do _anything_ to help the woman I love. I would do anything for you, Julie,” He murmured quietly, so much raw emotion bleeding into his words that it made Julie’s breathing hitch.

Her wide eyes turned panicked and she shook her head adamantly. “ _No_ -“ She breathed. “You-I can’t-I could never ask that of you, T-Mr. Stark. I don’t _deserve_ that sort of kindness from you _-_ “

Tony’s gaze hardened almost instantly and he shook his head. “ _Look-_ “ He snapped and then immediately lowered his voice. “You deserve _so much_ **_more_ ** than that, Julie. I absolutely _hate_ what you’re going through, but I will do anything to make things easier on you because these last few days-“ He blew out a rough breath. “This isn’t the you I know, sweetheart. You’re stronger than this.”

She swallowed hard staring at him in shock and hurt and a world of other things Tony couldn’t begin to understand. His voice was softened when he next spoke. “You ignore me every time I tell you that I love you, you know…and it’s sort of killing me,” He admitted quietly, gaze dropping to her blanket covered legs, missing the way her face fell at his words.

“If you’re going to reject me, then reject me. Tell me you don’t care and don’t love me the same and want me out of here, out of your life or whatever _bullshit_ you want to feed me. Just do it and get it over with, but _this_ -“ He breathed, voice hitching slightly before he could continue, dragging his eyes back up to her face. “My love for you-“ He clarified. “Is not going to change and when I say that I would _happily_ wipe your ass, Juliet Bailey O’Donnell, I damn well mean it. You could have woken up with permanent brain damage and I would still love you, still want to be here for you, _with_ you and I’d _still_ want to wipe your damn peach of an ass,” He managed to get out with a strangled bout of laughter escaping him.

Julie swallowed hard, unable to fully dislodge the lump in her throat on the first attempt and Tony watched with bated breath as she seemed to struggle with what to say for a minute or so too long. He stood up a bit straighter, unable to keep the look of hurt from his face when he realized that maybe she didn’t feel that way for him at all. He’d always been unsure, but the guys, the whole damn _Team_ had told him time and time again that he was being an idiot and that Julie was definitely into him. Maybe they were all wrong.

“It’s not-“ She started haltingly, but her voice was so strangled, Tony barely made out the words.

She shook her head, inhaling sharply before she forced herself to try again. “It’s not a… _rejection_ ,” She breathed and Tony’s gut clenched. “I’m not _rejecting_ you, Tony,” She whispered, brows drawn together as tears seemed to gather behind her eyes.

Tony shook his head slowly, relief flooding him. “Then why are you ignoring me, huh?” He murmured softly. “Why are you pushing not only me away, but the rest of your friends?” He whispered, voice conveying a hurt and sadness Julie wasn’t ready for.

A dry sob wrenched itself free of her chest and she clapped her good hand over her mouth to stifle it. Tony immediately took a step closer to the bed, but stilled when she shook her head and shot him a warning look. “H-how can you love me when I’m-when I-“ She hiccoughed from behind her hand and Tony shook his head, filling in the blanks.

“ _Julie,_ ” He murmured. “I have loved you for so long, it’s like breathing. I’ll never stop loving you, I don’t know how.”

She closed her eyes at that and Tony wanted to go to her so badly, wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her tight and tell her that things would be okay, even if he didn’t know for certain. He had to believe that they would be. “I’ve-“ She started, but another sob stole her breath and Tony’s gaze softened as he forced himself to move to her side, squatting down at her bedside.

“If you can’t love me right now, Julie, then that’s okay. If you don’t love me, that’s okay too. But I need you to let me love you because I need to, I need it, I need _you-_ “ He explained, his voice choked off.

Julie looked to him, hand dropping from her mouth. She looked terrified and sad and so, _so_ desperate and Tony couldn’t bear to see her look that way. “I don’t want you to waste your life on-on someone like me,” She whispered, gaze dropping down to her lap. “What if I don’t get the feeling back? What if, what if I can’t feel my toes like they keep asking me. What if-“

“ _Julie-_ “ He murmured. “They said it would take time. You will, you _will_. You have to believe that, _please_.”

Tears slipped from her eyes, wetting her cheeks and Tony frowned reaching out to brush them away with his thumb. He didn’t want to think about what might happen if she didn’t regain feeling in her legs and feet, but he knew one thing for certain. He’d still love her, love her through it all and then some. He wished he could say that to her, but he didn’t want to put any doubt about her regaining feeling into her mind. He needed to get her away from that.

“ _Alright?_ ” He asked her, thumb swiping across the top of her right cheek.

She nodded jerkily and Tony watched as she reached up and wrapped her hand around his wrist. He swallowed, cupping her cheek in his palm as he looked at her, looked into her eyes and tried to convey every ounce of love and reassurance he could give her into one look. “A-alright, Tony,” She whispered, thumb stroking along the underside of his wrist. “I-I’ll try harder to believe and I’ll-“ Her breathing hitched, words escaping her for a moment before she shook her head and tried to smile at him.

It was still watery, still a bit hesitant and a whole lot of unsure, but Tony would take it. It was progress, after all. She shook her head slightly and Tony’s expression started to slip as her gaze drifted down to where she was still stroking his wrist soothingly. “I-“ She started and took a deeper breath.

Tony watched her nervously before she was looking up at him through her lashes. “I want…to let you love me, Tony. I-I just-“ She faltered, but she squeezed his wrist a touch harder and Tony smiled at her softly. “Need to get myself oriented before I-before-“

She was shaking slightly and Tony nodded. He understood, or at least, he thought he did. She smiled at him with relief and it was still sad, still hesitant and there were still tears in her eyes and on her cheeks. “I get it. I do,” He murmured soothingly and she nodded, still gripping his wrist.

“It’s not a rejection,” She murmured again and he smiled dopily fond at her as he nodded, trying to keep his own tears at bay.

“Not a rejection, _got it,_ ” He chuckled wetly and watched as the crinkles around her eyes grew more pronounced.

She nodded again and Tony leaned in when she pulled at his wrist gently. He smiled as their foreheads pressed together and they took a moment to breathe in together, to just _be_ in each others space. He huffed lightly, tears of his own stinging his eyes and making them feel hot.

“You know, I didn’t see this conversation going in this direction,” He murmured, eyes closing.

Julie huffed softly, but it was more of a sniffle than anything. “No?”

Tony chuckled, not wanting to pull back from their private bubble. “No,” He whispered. “Thought I was going to yell at you for being stubborn, tell you that I think you need to open up more to your friends and just _let them in_. They want to help you, you know. They want to be there for you too.”

Julie ducked her head, breaking their bit of contact. Her hand never left his wrist, however, even when he lowered his hand to the bedcovers. Tony could see the shame reflected in her features and he frowned. “It’s okay, Julie, they would never hold the last few days against you. They’re trying to give you space, but they’re a nosy bunch, you know.”

Julie nodded, huffing slightly. “Oh, _I know_.”

Tony chuckled softly, giving her a lopsided smile. He shook his head after a beat. “Didn’t plan on the conversation to take a turn into dangerous territory either,” He chuckled, smirking at her. “The facial thing was kind of funny, but I thought the ass-wiping comment was going to make you combust-“

“ _Tony!_ ” She admonished, her cheeks heating so quickly as she shoved at his arm weakly.

He grinned at her, waggling his eyebrows. She was laughing lightly and when he really didn’t go far with her push, she placed her hand atop his as it rest against the blankets at her side. “Sorry, not sorry,” He chuckled.

She smiled at him shyly then and for a moment, Tony let himself get lost in the blueness of her eyes and the little sparkle he saw there. He did not expect what she said next, however. “Y-you said you’d wipe my… _peach_ of an ass-“ She muttered, smirking at that and it was definitely still watery as she wiped a few stray tears away with the back of her hand, mindful of her IV.

Tony grinned at her, looking a little bashful. “I said I would and I will if it comes down to it.”

Julie huffed, tipping her head back as she stared up at the ceiling. Tony watched her fondly as she shook her head. “Good to know,” She chuckled, shaking her head once again before turning her gaze towards him.

They were quiet for a moment, just staring at one another, until Tony broke the silence. “It really is quite peachy, you know-“

She barked out a surprise laugh at that, reaching out and shoving him lightly in the shoulder and Tony tried to ignore the bit of pain that flashed across her features with the movement; she didn’t like him drawing attention to when she was in pain. He just hoped she’d use the morphine button if and when she needed it.

He grinned at her before she rest back a bit more against the pillows. She sighed, looking so tired all of a sudden and Tony’s grin softened as he looked her over. “You should get some rest, think the doctors are coming by in the morning to do a few tests,” He told her quietly.

She nodded, sighing as she relaxed back into the pillows, her eyelids fluttering shut. “Yeah,” She murmured, letting out a deep breath that was more sigh than anything else.

Tony smiled quietly to himself before he stood up, his knees protesting the action for a moment before he leaned over her, pressing a kiss to her temple. She was already drifting and simply hummed in response to the soft press of lips against her skin. It wasn’t until he went to pull away that she reached out to him, her long fingers grasping and wrapping around his forearm gently.

He stilled, gaze falling back to her. She still had her eyes closed as she held onto him. She hummed softly once more. “You’d better actually get some sleep too, Mr.,” She murmured.

Tony nodded, watching as her hand slipped down to grasp his fingers, forcing him to curl his knuckles before she raised them to her lips, pressing a tentative kiss there. “I will,” He whispered and he actually sort of believed that he would.

Knowing that they’d talked and worked some of the tension out, he hoped that things would be a bit better come morning, not only for them but between her and the Team, their _friends_. She needed their support more than anything, forget his. He knew they were important to her, their friendships meant so much to her and he needed to make sure she didn’t get lost in her own head while she fought with this. They were going to support her through every step of her recovery and Tony was going to be right there with them. He was going to be her friend first and foremost, but now, now he was free to love her in his own way and he was pretty sure she’d be alright with him showing it. He just needed to reign it in…a bit…for the time being.

It would totally work out, he knew and he couldn’t wait to get started. They just had to get through a few tests tomorrow and find out when the next surgery was going to be taking place, because they both knew it was coming, they just didn’t know when or what exactly would be going down. That all depended on how she reacted to the upcoming tests. They were both worried about it, but he believed that if they truly believed that she would come out of this the way they both wanted her to, then everything was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I making it better!? xD 
> 
> Come chat with me on Discord starbucksjunkie#9171 <3


	28. Twenty-Eight

The next day was entirely too draining for Tony’s liking. He’d been asked to leave just on 7am so that they could take Julie for a CT scan and some testing and it was now 3pm and he had absolutely no idea where she was at this point. He’d not seen any of her regular doctors or nurses, despite having hung around waiting by her room, flitting back and forth from the Starbucks in the lobby and back up to the waiting room; wandering the hallways, essentially.

Steve was on his way over, said he’d be by since Tony was going stir crazy by himself just _waiting_ , so he’d come and keep the man company. Tony didn’t bother telling him not to bother, Steve’s Captain America voice was in full swing and there was absolutely no room for argument. As it was, Tony was pacing the hallway outside Julie’s empty room, empty coffee cup in hand. He glanced down into the cup and grimaced slightly. He needed a refill.

A ding to his left sounded and his gaze jerked towards it, hoping it was Julie, but alas it was only Steve. The blond stepped out, sporting his black winter coat, open at the front to reveal a navy blue v-neck sweater along with dark blue jeans and a pair of black Doc Martens…and two Starbucks cups in his hands. “Oh _thank God_ ,” Tony blurted, immediately making grabby hands for the cups and tossing his empty one into a nearby garbage.

Steve raised a curious brow as he approached, eyeing Tony a little more critically. Just as he was within grabbing distance, he raised the cup for Tony out of his reach and the genius pouted. “How much caffeine have you had today?” Steve questioned, gaze following the tense line of his shoulders and the jitteriness of his hands, the flitting of his eyes back and forth.

“Three cups-“ Tony blurted and Steve’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

When Tony just fidgeted under Steve’s scrutinizing gaze, the genius caved. “Okay, _fine,_ I’ve had four coffees and two espressos and one latte-“

Steve rolled his eyes and attempted to get towards the trash can nearby. “And that’s enough-“

“ _Steve!_ ” Tony absolutely did _not_ whine.

Just as Tony was seriously considering lunging for the poor coffee cup, the door to the stairwell opened and out popped Jasper. He startled a bit, nearly running into the pair and Tony was forced to step back to give him some room. “ _Oh_ -“ Jasper said in surprise. “Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers, I was just coming up to make sure Julie’s room was prepped for her return.”

“Oh good,” Tony breathed, relief clearly visible in his features. “Everything go alright?”

Jasper gave him a warm smile. “You bet it did, but I-I’ll wait for her to get back to share the news.”

Tony’s brows furrowed for a moment but then the elevator was dinging and Julie was being wheeled out on her bed, Kaley and one of the male surgeons talking over her head. She looked tired, _very_ tired and Tony felt a pang of sympathy at seeing her in such a state. But then they were wheeling her out of the elevator and towards them and it was in that split second of her catching sight of Tony and Steve that the genius’ heart did a very funny thing.

She positively lit up upon seeing him, gaze flickering between Tony and Steve for only an instant before settling back on Tony and she smiled, so blindingly beautiful and Tony’s heart melted at the sight. He didn’t realize he was grinning ear to ear upon seeing that look directed at him, but Steve did and elbowed his side playfully as he spoke soft words to Jasper and apparently offered Tony’s intended coffee to the nurse instead. Tony couldn’t even be mad, not _really_ anyway.

Because there was Julie beaming at him as she tried to sit up a bit more as they rolled her over towards him, a light in her eyes he hadn’t seen in much too long. “ _Tony!_ “ She practically cried. “I can wiggle my toes!”

Tony’s entire being just _caved_ at the news and he nearly crumpled forward as soon as she was within reach, arms around her as carefully as he could manage as he just _held_ her. He was talking to her, pouring out relief and confessions and words of love and praise and she held on just as tight as she buried her face against the side of his neck. She was laughing, smiling against his warm skin as she clutched at his shirt, no doubt crinkling it to hell and back.

Neither of them cared that they had eyes on them, Julie’s own eyes filling with tears, Tony’s too. Even Steve was affected as he stepped back, watching the pair as the nurses and surgeon attempted to give them some space. Julie was so happy and Tony was so, _so_ proud of her, of them. They all knew she’d come out of this, but this was the affirmation they all needed; Julie included.

By the time they managed to get Julie into her room properly, Jasper and Kaley making sure she was all settled in while Steve shared his coffee with Julie, making sure she knew Tony had had plenty already and no matter what he said, didn’t need a refill. Tony didn’t even bother to argue, his constantly bouncing knee once he was seated sort of spoke for itself.

While Steve was busy talking to her about the tests she’d gone through that morning, Tony was pulled aside by the surgeon. “Tomorrow?” Tony said distractedly, gaze flickering back towards where Julie wassmiling at Steve and recounting how she’s been able to move her toes, _all_ of them.

“Six o-clock in the morning, yes. We’ll be by to prep her and she’ll be under by 6:45am. The surgery is pretty routine, we'll be removing portions of the rods so that she can heal properly and then we’ll be releasing her into your care in roughly two days time, provided the surgery goes well, of course,” The surgeon was saying.

“Of course, of course,” Tony murmured, licking his lips nervously. “I’ll have doctors on hand to make sure her recovery goes smoothly and I already have someone lined up for her physiotherapy.”

“That’s wonderful, Mr. Stark. I wanted to discuss the surgery preparations with you as Miss O’Donell expressed a desire not to know when it might take place or what the surgery entailed exactly…” He trailed off.

Tony’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What?” He asked, full attention returning to the surgeon.

He smiled sympathetically. “She does not wish to discuss the details of the surgery and she also requested not to be told about the scheduled timing.”

“But why?” Tony asked curiously.

The surgeon sighed softly then, glancing towards the woman in question. “She was not very clear in her reasoning, I’m afraid. I think she is uncomfortable discussing the details, however, because she seems to be fairly unsettled around discussions of her injury and she was very close to experiencing an anxiety attack when I attempted to discuss that, as well as a projected time for surgery. I think she would prefer to be told right before it is scheduled so that she does not have much time to dwell on it.”

“ _Right-_ “ Tony murmured. “That’s-I get that.”

The surgeon nodded in sympathy. “So tomorrow morning, the nurses will arrive and she’ll be told just as they’re taking her in,” He explained.

Tony nodded, brows pinched up as he looked back to where Steve had lifted the edge of the blanket back so that Julie could show him her toes. Most of her foot was still encased in the cast, but she was clearly managing to wiggle what was visible of her toes, tongue caught between her teeth as she concentrated intensely on doing so.

Tony’s look of happy relief was entirely lost on her as she showed Steve what she could do and the blond looked so happy, grinning at her and threatening to tickle her _pretty little toes_. Julie was laughing, bags under her eyes and sweat on her brow and she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She looked towards him a moment later, Steve too and they both smiled hugely at him. He was incapable of not smiling like an idiot back.

He quietly thanked the doctor and as the nurses and he left, he returned to Julie’s bedside, Steve trading sips of his coffee with her as he readjusted her blankets. She sighed deeply once they were alone and smiling tiredly, she turned her gaze towards Tony. “Thank you,” She murmured, reaching out for one of Tony’s hands.

Tony looked at her curiously as her fingers curled around his, not understanding. “For what?”

She smiled at him and murmured, “For believing in me.”

Tony felt so helpless then and he smiled at her in reassurance. “I’ll never stop,” He murmured in reply, reaching out with his free hand to brush some of her hair out of her face before leaning in and pressing a kiss to her temple.

She closed her eyes at the press of his lips, so warm and soft and it was so _tender_. Steve tried to avert his gaze as they shared a private moment, but he found his eyes drawn back to the pair after a beat. He was so happy to see them sharing this and it made his heart ache in such an intimate way. He looked away again when they pulled back from each other, but his gaze caught on Tony’s briefly and the genius smiled, a light blush staining his cheeks and when he looked back to Julie, she was blushing too and not meeting his eyes.

He hoped it would work out with the two of them, Lord knows they needed each other. Steve breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at the pair. “You should get some rest, Julie. You must be tired,” The blond murmured.

Julie nodded, relaxing back into her pillows. “Tired doesn’t even begin to cover it,” She chuckled. “I’m positively _exhausted_.”

They men nodded in sympathy and Tony carefully laid his hand against her shoulder. “Get some rest, Julie, you need your strength. We’ll look after you,” Tony told her quietly.

Julie nodded, not questioning the phrasing and let out a tired sigh instead. “Alright, but just for a bit, it is the middle of the afternoon and all.”

Steve and Tony both chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, just get some rest,” Steve murmured, reaching out and brushing her hair back.

She hummed in response before she was almost immediately slipping off to sleep. Tony glanced to Steve and made a _come hither_ gesture before he stood up and headed for the door. The blond instantly following.

When they were safely out of earshot in case she happened to wake up, Tony explained that the surgery was to take place in the morning and that she would be _hopefully_ ready to come home in a few days time. Steve took it all in stride, nodding quietly before a sort of determination settled over his features. Tony looked to him curiously. “What is it?” He asked.

Steve smiled kindly at his friend. “You’re bringing her home, Tony.”

Tony let that settle over him for a moment and he pushed out a slow, controlled breath. He nodded, determination of his own settling across his brow. “I have some planning to do then, don’t I?”

Steve smiled, patting his friend on the shoulder before deciding he’d much rather have a hug. He drew the genius bodily into him and hugged him tightly, Tony’s arms wrapping around his middle, his hands clutching at his back, crumpling up his sweater. “We’re bringing her home, Tony,” Steve whispered into the man’s hair.

Tony couldn’t speak, so he nodded instead and they both pretended that the front of Steve’s shirt wasn’t wet when the genius pulled back and they slipped back into Julie’s room.


	29. Twenty-Nine

Later that same night, Tony and Steve were busy futzing around with the television in Julie’s hospital room, looking for something that wasn’t news, game shows or a soap opera. “I like that one, go back,” Julie yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Tony glanced over at her from his spot at her bedside and grinned when he saw how sleepily adorable she looked. She blinked tiredly at him before gesturing towards the TV as he returned to the previous channel. He laughed. “It’s in _Spanish_ -“

She smiled at him dopily as she nodded. “I know, I like hearing them argue. I think it’s hilarious.”

Steve barked out a surprised laugh at that as he pulled his chair over on the opposite side closer to her. “What?” She asked curiously, smiling at the pair.

“Bucky loves Spanish soap operas for that exact reason,” Steve admitted.

She chuckled. “I know, last time he was here we put it on and I made him translate it for me…though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t accurate by any means.”

Tony snickered and Steve rolled his eyes fondly. “Sounds about right,” The blond chuckled.

Julie smiled, pushing a button on her bed to raise her up into a better sitting position. “Can I get you anything?” Tony asked her a moment later, moving to help fluff her pillows a bit.

She tried to bat his hand away and he simply rolled his eyes and sat back down. “No, thank you. I’m just fine. Shouldn’t you two be getting dinner though? Or-wait-what time is it?”

“Just on seven. We already had a bite to eat, but we brought up some soup for you if you’d like?” Tony offered.

She hummed and nodded. “That might be nice,” She conceded, watching as he then went to grab the bag of take-away soup and some crackers they’d brought up for her.

She’d barely gotten settled, tray pulled up in front of her, spoon raised to her lips to blow on before an ear piercing ringtone was going off in the room. She grimaced, glancing towards Tony and Steve as they both pulled their cellphones from their pockets and disengaged the alarms. Her brow furrowed in confusion as Tony’s face grew closed off and Steve’s expression hardened while he pressed the phone to his ear.

“ _Rogers-_ “ He said curtly, shooting Tony a look as he listened to whomever was on the other end.

Tony hadn’t raised his, but the alarm had stopped as he fiddled anxiously with his phone in his grip. “Iron-Man’s here with me. Is this an _all hands_ call?” Steve asked, gaze flickering towards Julie and then back to Tony. “Understood, be on the roof in five for pick-up.”

Julie swallowed hard, watching as he hung up. “Tony, we-“ Steve started, but Tony swore, getting up from his seat and starting to pace anxiously.

“I told you I-“ Tony started, cheeks heating in anger as he turned to look at his Captain, only to be interrupted by Julie.

“It’s a call to assemble, right?” Julie asked, gaze directed at Steve.

Steve nodded, glancing between the two. “Sightings of a small portal opening up in Manhattan-“

“A _portal_ -“ Tony hissed, eyes wide.

“A _small one_ -“ Steve assured, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “Looks like there are some robots threatening to come through and cause a bit of a ruckus and they need the Avengers on this. _All_ of them.”

Tony inhaled deeply and was about to go off on a tirade about how he was most certainly _not_ about to go, however, he was immediately interrupted by Julie. “Well, you’re both wasting time here. _Go!_ ” She urged, making a shoeing motion towards them both.

Tony flinched, looking back at her. “I-I can’t just- _go-_ “ He blurted.

Julie blinked at him, brow slowly arching. “Why not?”

Tony floundered and Steve seemed to struggle too for a beat. “B-because I need to-“

“You need to _go_ and be _Iron-Man_ so that you can save the world _again_ -“ She explained. “Because let’s face it, _robots?_ You know you wanna’ at least get a look at them.”

Tony’s face twisted up and he went to object, honestly, he did, but then Julie was outright _glaring_ at him. “If you’re refusing to go because of me, we are going to have _words_ , Mr. Stark,” She threatened.

And yeah, somehow that sounded worse than facing the damn robots. Tony huffed and Steve made an impatient gesture. “We gotta’ go _now_ , Tony.”

“ _In a minute-_ “ He snapped in response and Julie’s glare intensified. “I just-I don’t want to leave you by yourself-“ He tried, but he knew it was futile.

Julie sighed deeply. “I will be _fine,_ but you need to go, because there’s a good chance that not everything is going to _be_ fine when you get there. So, _chop-chop!_ ” She demanded and Tony was sure she’d be making the motion if she could have proper use of her other arm.

Tony groaned- _loudly_ -and swore rather colourfully under his breath before he was on his phone and speaking to Jarvis. “I will be back as soon as I can-“ He told her, rounding the other side of her bed.

Julie nodded. “I know you will and I will be just fine by myself. If I need anything, I can call the nurses.”

Steve bent to kiss her cheek and she patted the back of his hand gently as he pulled away, looking her over worriedly. Tony groaned, seemingly torn about leaving _again_ and instead dropped down onto his knees by her side.

She started in surprise as he reached out and took her hand, pressing the backs of her knuckles against his lips in a chaste kiss. “Don’t go anywhere,” He murmured seriously.

She smiled nervously across at him, brows pinching up in concern. “I won’t,” She replied quietly and then, “ _Now_ , go be a hero.”

Tony nodded, standing back up and she watched as he pulled away from her, her hand falling back to settle atop the covers. He found that he couldn’t say anything more to her as he was ushered to the doorway by an only slightly impatient looking Steve, but then Julie was shouting at them. “Be careful!”

“We will!” They called back in unison and hurried out the door towards the roof.

Within moments, Julie was left alone in the nearly quiet hospital room, only the sounds of the Spanish ladies onscreen bickering at one another reaching her ears. She glanced down at her soup and sighed, suddenly not all that hungry anymore. Looking up at the television, she pouted when she spotted the remote over on the chair Steve had vacated.

“Poop,” She said, huffing lightly before reclining back more comfortably in her bed. “Spanish soap operas it is.”

.

“I have a question for Iron-Man-“ Peter queried through the comms, barely managing to duck in time before yet another robot charged forth from the portal.

It wasn’t a giant portal by any means, only about six feet high and five feet wide or so, but the stupid robots were definitely managing to squeeze through without too much trouble. “What’s up, Spidey?” Tony asked, banking left as he shot down another hulking robot; they’d been neat for the first ten minutes but now they were just annoying and Strange really was taking his time closing the damn portal.

“Well, just curious really, but uh, how come you’re here?” Peter asked, trying not to sound ungrateful, because honestly, he was grateful that Tony had shown up, but he was under the impression that Iron-Man was just _off_ , for the time being anyway.

“Figured I’d try and save the world for old times sake,” Tony chuckled and there was more than one amused huff along the line.

Peter laughed nervously. “Yeah, totally. I mean, _I’m_ happy to have you here helping out and all-“

“Julie kicked him out-“ Bucky chimed in.

Tony did _not_ let out an indignant squawk at that. “She did not-“

“She sorta’ did?” Steve interjected. “I mean, technically she told us both to go-“

Tony growled and there were definitely a few snickers over the comms. “She told us to go and be heroes, save the world again and all that jazz. I couldn’t exactly say _no_ ,” Tony stated petulantly, swooping down low to take out two more bots that were crowding in on Steve and Bucky who were already dealing with three others.

“I also figured that an extra set of hands might get me back in time for the morning. I want to be there for her when they take her into surgery,” He explained.

There were a chorus of murmurs and then Natasha was coming in over the comms. “What surgery?”

Tony rolled through the air, firing his repulsers towards a downed bot that just didn’t want to give up. “To remove the rods-“ He muttered. “Just found out this afternoon.”

There was a bit of stunned silence through the link then and Tony’s brows furrowed, wondering if his link had gone dead. He checked the HUD but everything was showing up normal. “She’s-“ Peter’s voice cut in and it sounded very far away all of a sudden.

Tony blinked in confusion, scanning the area, trying to get a lock on the Spider-Kid. Peter was standing nearly stock still directly in front of the portal. To be fair, he had been trying to web the portal closed and it had been working for a little while. But now he was just a sitting duck.

“ _Spider-“_ Tony tried to warn, but then there was the unmistakeable sound of screeching metal and he turned just in time to see one of the bots barrelling towards Peter, the kid’s _back_ to the damn thing.

Tony swore under his breath and then Cap was shouting orders towards Bucky who was closest to the kid. Tony was immediately firing full power on all thrusters before he was heading their way and dear _God_ , but he was thankful for super soldiers in that moment.

Bucky was sprinting in full riot gear towards the red and blue spandex clad hero who for lack of a better word, was still _stuck_ in the same damn position staring into the portal, hands resting limply at his sides and Tony couldn’t get a read on the kid! “Spidey!” Bucky shouted, just as the bot snuck up on him practically _looming_ over him.

Peter jerked into action, the sound of the man's voice ringing in his ears and no doubt his spider senses kicking into high alert and then he was twisting to get out of the way, but not before one of the robot arms lashed out and knocked him to the ground. He managed to scramble inelegantly back before flipping up onto an overturned car where he did his best to incapacitate the robot, now with not only Bucky’s help-who had just arrived and started to practically _tear_ the damn thing apart with his _metal arm-_ but with Tony’s firepower too.

The robot went down in a deafening screech of bending metal and then Strange was calling out over the fray as he descended in front of the portal and started doing his thing. Apparently he’d figured out how to close the thing. “ _Fucking_ ** _finally!_** ” Tony shouted and then promptly landed in front of both Peter and Bucky, Steve heading their way on quick feet from their left.

Strange ignored his outburst and instead continued to work on closing the portal, much to the Team’s collective relief. Peter slid down off of his perch on top of the car, the group looking around to make sure there weren’t any straggling robots out to get them. Nat, Clint, Wanda, Thor and the Hulk were coming in, Nat attempting to calm the big guy while they converged in the middle of the scene.

“What the hell, Spidey? Are you okay?” Bucky asked, reaching out and bodily dragging Peter towards him.

Peter went easily, letting Bucky pat him down worriedly and only flinching and hissing when the brunet cupped his injured cheek, a pretty nasty tear in his mask showing off an even nastier cut hiding beneath and what was sure to be a monstrous bruise sooner rather than later.

“M’ fine,” He muttered, turning his cheek away and having to listen to Bucky cluck his tongue in disapproval. “Honestly, didn’t hit me that hard-“

“Like hell it didn’t!” Tony snapped and Peter’s head jerked towards the sound of the man’s voice filtering through the speakers of his suit before he was retracting the face-plate and staring at Peter worriedly.

“You okay?” Steve asked in concern as he approached.

Peter nodded, reaching up and brushing at his cheek. It hurt, like hell, it _really_ hurt, but he knew it would heal. “I’m fine, just got-just a bit distracted.”

Steve nodded slowly, glancing towards Tony who looked completely at a loss. “I’m sorry,” He suddenly murmured, drawing the small group’s attention. “Not a good time to spring the surgery thing on you…apparently.”

Peter made a sort of nervous sound and Tony could see the eyes of his mask widen in response. “She’ll be fine,” He hastily added. “Surgeon said it’s to remove the rods-“

“ _Rods-_ “ Peter breathed and he suddenly looked very unsteady on his feet, leaning heavily back against the car he’d come down from.

Tony’s face pinched up and _now_ he felt like the world’s biggest douchebag as he glanced around at the others to see their equally appalled expressions. _Right._ Only Bucky, Steve and he had been privy to the fact that she had fucking metal _rods_ through her legs.

“Ah _fuck-_ “ Tony muttered, hands stretching out in case Peter needed a hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think-!”

“S’ fine, Mr. Stark-“ Peter breathed, shaking his head a bit, but Tony clearly felt like an asshole; the kid looked about two-seconds away from being sick.

He frowned deeply, glancing from Peter back to Steve and then to the others. They all looked worried and uncomfortable. He sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose and then decided against it when he realized that hey, still in the suit!

Bucky swallowed hard from his spot next to Peter and then took a deep breath. “We should get back to business,” He murmured. “Get the scene cleared, looks like Strange is almost done here.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, right. Let’s get a start on that. Widow, you get in touch with SHIELD cleanup and take Bruce back to medical first thing-“ He started, delegating duties and keeping a careful eye on Peter who was looking at the downed robots with a sort of detached curiosity.

They didn’t like that.

Tony asked for Peter’s help on collecting one of the more intact bots for SHIELD while Steve, Bucky, Clint and Thor started helping with cleanup. Wanda was busy looking after Bruce while Natasha kept watch and helped with keeping the perimeter set up. It wasn’t long until they were wrapping things up onsite. SHIELD had it under control and they were all happy to get out of there as soon as humanly possible.

It was already well past midnight by the time they were safely aboard the Quinjet and they were all exhausted as they headed back towards the Compound. Peter was still very quiet, barely paying attention to the conversations around him. It’d been a good mission, no civilian casualties, no severe injuries and limited destruction to public property and yet everyone was pretty subdued. There wasn’t even talk of food afterwards, which, let’s face it, was way too unusual for them.

Tony kept apologizing to the group for springing Julie’s surgery on them, as well as the whole- _yeah-_ that hadn’t been cool. But he hadn’t been thinking about it really then, _now_ he was, of course. When they landed, everyone slowly made their way back to their own spaces and just as they were walking inside, Tony pulled Peter aside.

“Hey, just a sec-“ He murmured, grasping the young man’s arm lightly.

Peter stilled, glancing up at Tony who was now clad in just his flight suit. Tony waited for the others to move along, only Steve and Bucky sending him quiet glances before they too disappeared into the building; they knew Tony would sort out whatever was upsetting Peter better than they ever could. Tony glanced down at the younger man, watching as Peter shifted quietly. He hadn’t taken off his mask and insisted the scratch on his cheek wasn’t bad, so they’d let him be.

Tony was wondering if he could somehow convince the kid to come and let him take a look at it at least. Didn’t appear likely. He sighed inwardly, releasing his grip on the younger man’s arm. “Want to sit for a minute?”

Peter shrugged, glancing around at the roof. It was pretty chilly outside and he didn’t exactly feel like sitting around out there and he went to say as much, but Tony beat him to it. “We could go inside and I could fix us some coffee and maybe we could sit and talk for a few?”

Peter sighed, turning to look at the man properly. “Nah, think I’m going to head home.”

Tony frowned, brows pinching in concern. “Pete, we can talk you know. You can always talk to me-“

“I know-“ He said harshly, much too quickly. “ _Sorry-_ “ He apologized, shaking his head with a deep sigh. “I know I can talk to you, Mr. Star-“

“ _Tony-_ “ He interrupted. “Just, stop calling me Mr. Stark, okay?”

Peter blinked and smiled softly and Tony was only able to see it because he’d pushed up the bottom half of his mask a bit. “I know I can talk to you, Tony,” He murmured. “I just, I didn’t know about Julie-about her-about the-“

“It’s okay, Pete,” Tony consoled. “That was my bad, it wasn’t something she wanted to share and I sort of ended up ruining that,” He sighed. “But they’ll be taken care of in the morning and she’ll be left with smaller ones so that she can heal properly.”

Peter nodded, face pinched and mouth twisted up but when he didn’t make a move to leave or continue with their conversation, Tony reached out to grip his shoulder gently. “She’ll pull through, Peter. You’ve just got to believe in her-“  
“I do believe in her-“ He said quickly. “She’s so strong, Tony. She’s-she’s like an older sister to me and I know she’s been struggling and she’s been snappy and stuff, but I-that doesn’t _matter_ _to me_ because I just-“ He huffed, closing his eyes. “I just want to see her smiling again.”

Tony’s gaze softened as he nodded, clapping a hand gently against the younger man’s back. “She will, it’s just going to take time and all we can do is be there for her, okay?”

Peter nodded, sighing deeply. “She’s sorry, you know,” Tony murmured, making Peter look up at him as he was led inside.

“Sorry?”

“For pushing every one away. She knows it was wrong, we talked about it and she knows it was wrong and I know we’d never hold it against her, but she gets it now,” Tony explained and Peter pushed out a rough breath.

“I’d never hold it against her. I can’t even begin to imagine how upset she must be, how tired, how sore and-“ He shook his head, sighing deeply. “I get it, I just want to be there for her.”

Tony hummed thoughtfully. “She knows that now.”

Peter nodded as they stepped inside, looking up at Tony quietly. “Thanks, Tony. I-I should get going though. I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon, but uh, you should go shower and stuff before you head back to the hospital.”

Tony hummed, nodding tiredly as he ran a hand through his already mussed up hair. “Yeah, I should probably do that,” He sighed.

Peter gave him a tired smile. “I’ll see you later, night.”

“Night, Pete,” Tony murmured, slipping off towards his room for a quick shower and change of clothes.

.

Contrary to what Peter had told Tony, he was not going to head home, at least, not right this second. Instead, he grabbed his backpack and hightailed it over to the hospital. Still in his Spidey suit, he slipped up to the roof before changing and slipping in through one of the stairwells. Not more than five minutes after he’d arrived, he was standing at the foot of Julie’s bed in complete darkness.

He was now dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, one of Julie’s _Roots_ sweatshirts and a pair of black _Ugg’s_. He found them super cozy, _so what?_ He knew he was probably a huge creeper just standing there watching her sleep, but he really wanted to see her before he went home. He hadn’t known about the extent of the damage done to her body, he’d been too afraid to ask and although he knew it was bad, he hadn’t quite realized how bad.

He wondered if he’d ever get to see her dance again. If he’d ever get to dance with her even at a club or the living room or even in the little studio she’d made use of back at the Compound. He wanted to do yoga with her again, he’d liked the few sessions he’d managed to go to with her, Steve and Natasha and he really, _really_ missed being around her when she smiled. He hadn’t been lying to Tony when he’d said she was like a big sister to him and yeah, he sort of loved her, but he’d long ago known that she wasn’t his to love, not like _that_ anyway and he was totally okay with that.

She was a wonderful person and he’d forever be happy being her friend. He frowned deeply as he let his gaze drop to where Julie’s legs were hiding beneath the large white blanket Tony had given her for Christmas. He’d always noticed the odd jut under the blanket as something unnatural, but he’d forced himself not to dwell on it. Now it was all he could think about.

He frowned deeply, so busy staring and wondering and over thinking things, that he missed when Julie awoke. He did hear the soft inhalation as she caught sight of him though. “ _Peter-_ “ She murmured, but it was so softly spoken, he wasn’t sure she’d even said anything.

He blinked in confusion, gaze slipping up to settle on her face. She was looking at him with worried eyes and he instantly took a step closer. “H-hey, I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

She shook her head and motioned towards the seat by her side. “You didn’t, here, come sit down. What are you doing here so-?” She started, only for her eyes to widen in shock as Peter stepped closer to her, the light coming in through the window illuminating his features.

“ _Peter-_ “ She gasped. “W-what happened to your face?”

Peter’s brows furrowed in confusion for all of a second before he remembered, he’d taken a bad hit and yep, totally forgot to clean himself up and he knew it probably looked awful. He grimaced and then chuckled softly, hand nervously going up to grasp the back of his neck. “Oh, it’s nothing. _Really_ , I just slipped and fell-“

“Into someone’s _fist!?_ ” She hissed and Peter winced, moving to sit down beside her on the bed.

Peter’s cheeks heated a bit and he tried to play it off with a shrug. “It’s nothing, _really-_ “ He tried to stress but she was shaking her head and staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

“If you say it’s nothing _one more time_ -“ She whisper hissed at him and Peter’s skin flushed darker, an automatic apology rolling off his tongue before he could stop himself.

She scowled at him, her hand pointing towards the bathroom. “Go get a cloth and wet it with warm water please. I’m sure there’s a bowl in there you can fill with water too. Bring it to me.”

Peter tried to object, but she arched a delicate brow at him and he just barely bit back a ‘ _yes m’am_ ’ before he was up and in the bathroom gathering the items she’d requested. By the time he came back to take up his seat again, she’d put her bed into more of a sitting position so she was sitting up, looking more awake than before, definitely.

He grimaced slightly, feeling guilty that he’d woken her at all. She needed her rest. When he sat down, bowl and cloth in his lap, she shook her head and poked at the blankets next to her hip. “I can’t reach you properly if you sit there, come sit here,” She directed and Peter swallowed, but nodded before moving to sit on the bed with her.

She let him hold the bowl of warm water while she reached into the water with the cloth and wrung it out as best she could before raising it to his cheek. Her gaze softened then and Peter found himself watching her closely. “It’ll probably sting a bit, but I’ll be gentle,” She murmured.

He nodded, glancing away from her as she pressed the warm cloth against his skin. It did sting, more than a bit, but he gritted his teeth and let her clean the wound as best she could. She dabbed carefully, gentle pats with the cloth to loosen up the dried blood and dirt that had no doubt gotten into the wound. He realized he was probably still pretty filthy from the battle, covered in dirt and feeling more than a little grimy. His face heated at the idea that she could probably smell him too. He hadn’t even taken off the suit, just thrown on clothes over top of it, save for the mask, of course.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it, however, as she drew his attention away from the sting of the cloth against his skin by speaking to him. “Why are you here so late?”

Peter inhaled slowly. “I was in the neighbourhood, Tony said he’d gotten a call out and I thought I’d come by to check on you,” He lied.

He hated lying, but it was a necessary part of the job nowadays. He tried not to feel too guilty about it, but didn’t always succeed. Julie hummed softly but didn’t press. “And you somehow got hurt since I last saw you-“

“I fell-“ Peter started to protest but a stern look from her had his mouth shutting so fast there was an audible click.

“Mhm,” She muttered, dipping the cloth back into the bowl before ringing it out again.

Peter didn’t bother to protest, he was starting to feel weary, tired from the battle and aching all over. He let his eyes close when she pressed the cloth back against his cheek and then started patting it up along his temple. Julie could see the tired strain in his body and she sighed softly, glancing over at the time on one of the monitors. It was absurdly late.

“Is May expecting you home tonight?” She queried softly.

Peter shook his head as she withdrew the cloth. “No, was going to stay at Ned’s place.”

Julie hummed again. “Feel like staying here instead? I mean…the bed’s big enough for the both of us if you’d like to just crash here for a while.”

“I-“ Peter started, sort of at a loss.

He knew she wasn’t asking him to stay for anything other than company, but it made his heart ache to know that she was worried about him. She was looking at him patiently, but there was clear worry in her eyes and he felt incredibly guilty about putting it there. “You don’t have to,” She murmured. “You just look so tired-“

“I’ll stay-“ He breathed, nodding as she seemed to struggle with the idea of just sending him on his way or going through with her offer.

She nodded after a beat, putting the cloth back in the now pink water. “Why don’t you go dump this and then come curl up for a bit then?”

Peter nodded, grateful and did as she asked. When he returned to her side, she’d done her best to shift slightly to one side of her bed, but she was very restricted in her ability to move. Peter knew it would be a tight fit, but didn’t really care. She held up one corner of the blanket and he smiled nervously before sitting on the bed’s edge and slipping under it. Instead of her tucking him against her side like she no doubt wanted, he tucked her against his.

She huffed a soft laugh as she pressed her cheek against his collarbone and he shifted a little so that she’d be more comfortable. It took another minute to recline the bad back just enough for them to relax and then they were breathing easily in each other’s space. “Thank you,” Julie murmured after a few quiet minutes had passed.

Peter frowned. “I think that’s supposed to be my line.”

Julie chuckled tiredly. “Maybe, but I owe you bigger thanks, Peter.”

“For what?” He asked, unsure.

“For not letting me push you away,” She whispered.

Peter let his arm tighten just a smidge around her as he pressed a light kiss to her hair. “You’re my friend, Julie. I’m not going anywhere, none of us are.”

Julie let her eyes drift shut as she nodded against his chest. “Thank you, you’re my friend too, Peter.”

Peter held her a little tighter before relaxing his grasp on her. He was tired and if her steady slow breathing was anything to go by a minute later, she was exhausted too. Peter was dimly aware of a shadow in the doorway as he drifted off to sleep. There was a ghost of a hand in his hair and then quiet footfalls as the owner of said hand crossed the room to the second bed. His spider senses weren’t going off, so he let himself drift, knowing that he was safe and that the people he cared about were safe too.


	30. Thirty

The next morning goes better than Tony expected. It was still awful having to see the way Julie’s vision went cloudy and faraway when the doctors came by to take her into surgery. Peter had slipped out around five before he had to witness it and it was just Tony and Julie now, a nurse and two doctors present when they broke the news to her. She was quiet, subdued and her face had taken on a waxy quality Tony really didn’t care for. She looked as if she might pass out or throw up and Tony really wished they’d just get this over with so that he didn’t have to see her in such a state.

Just as she was being wheeled out, Tony following along at the head of her bed with one of the doctors, Julie’s hand reached out and snatched his wrist. It was a weak grip, her long thin fingers wrapped snugly around the bone, but lacking any real strength. He looked down at her to see if she was alright, but she wasn’t looking at him, instead staring off into the middle space between them.

“You’ll be there when I w-wake up, won’t you?” She asked weakly, a wobble in her voice.

Tony nodded, caressing the back of her hand gently as he bent down to try and catch her gaze. But she still looked dazed as if she weren’t able to bring her gaze back to him, to the present. “Yeah, Julie. I’ll be here when you wake up. Going to make some plans for you coming home in a few days, okay?” He comforted.

At that, she did look up and for a moment there was some clarity in her gaze, some recognition. She nodded, blinking slowly at him. “Coming home-“ She said uncertainly.

“Yeah,” He murmured. “Going to get you set up nicely back at the compound and make sure everything’s ready for you.”

She nodded slowly, brows pinching slightly and Tony really wasn’t sure if she was grasping the concept entirely, but that was okay. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he followed them out the door and by the time they got to the elevator, Tony realized he was going to have to let go. He gently pried his hand from her grasp and kissed her hand before resting her hand in her lap. She stared down at where he’d kissed her knuckles and then nodded once again as if to herself.

The nurse was reassuring Tony, as were the doctors. This was a routine surgery that would take less than an hour and then she’d be back in her room recovering. Tony was only a little bit comforted by this and Julie, he wasn’t sure she knew what they were even talking about at this point. So he watched, watched as they slipped into the elevator and the doors closed and then the numbers were lighting up above the doors as she was whisked off to one of the OR’s.

Tony took a deep breath and then pulled out his phone, opening up his direct line to Jarvis. He had some planning to do and he was going to need all the help he could get. “Hey J, do me a favour and get the Team on board with this one. I need hands, lots of them.”

“Of course, Sir,” The AI stated. “They are always happy to help, as am I.”

Tony breathed a sigh of relief, letting his eyes drift shut for a long moment. “Thanks buddy.”

.

The next week passed by in a blur, Julie made it out of surgery with absolutely zero issues, to everyones immeasurable relief. The few rods that remained were now hidden beneath the surface of her skin and would remain there indefinitely; bandages and casts in the majority of places to keep the healing going as smooth as possible. And it was going smoothly, or so the doctors told them.

They were relieved, but Tony was getting impatient, he really wanted to get her back to the compound on his own soil where he could have his own doctors and nurses see to her. It took a little over a week, a bit longer than Tony had anticipated, but, now they were safely back on his home turf and Julie was settling in. Tony couldn’t say _well_ , not really. Because it wasn’t without its complications. For the first few days, the Team fussed over her, making sure she was comfortable, that she had everything she could possibly need or want and Tony got it, he did, because he’d been guilty of the same.

She took it alright at first, but when they began to intrude upon her quiet alone time, she started getting snippy with them and insisting that she could do some things on her own, deserved some privacy and independence. They’d tried to be respectful of her wishes, honestly, they had. But when she’d refused to call on one of them or one of her nurses when she had needed assistance and had hurt her still broken collarbone, resulting in more horrible bruising, they’d collectively set their feet down.

They were back to someone always being with her and though she tried not to hate it, she understood and did her best to accept it. It was easier sometimes when it was just her nurse. The nurse Tony had hired named Beth. She was a sweet young woman, someone Tony had known for a couple of years now, someone who had come highly recommended by SHIELD and had helped tend to some of the Avengers as well as agents off the field.

But she was only there certain hours of the day and as time wore on, less and less of her was deemed necessary. Bucky and Steve spent a lot of time with her, as did Peter and Wanda. Clint, Natasha and Sam were just as frequent visitors as well. Thor and Jane…there had been a falling out between the pair and so she rarely saw either of them for a time. Jane called her on occasion to say hello and ask how she was, but it didn’t last. Thor became more regular at the compound and Bruce still his ever present and calm self slipped in and out whenever he was able. Pepper and Rhodey visited once she was settled in too, making sure she was being looked after, but Julie knew they were more curious about how Tony was handling things and she didn’t blame them for it.

Darcy called more often, visited once in a while too, sometimes with Jane, sometimes without. But Julie understood. She did. And Tony? Tony was in and out so often, Julie thought he probably didn’t get any actual work done. He did spend a good deal of his time on a tablet probably working when he was with her, but more often than not, they simply watched TV or old movies together. He’d bring her lattes and sweets and coffee, lots of coffee and he never pressed her about what he’d confessed those few weeks ago to her. She caught him smiling at her when she wasn’t paying attention and sometimes he caught her doing the same.

They were okay and that was what mattered. Tony would wait for her.

There were other days when he was drawn away to meetings or business across the country that really couldn’t be helped unfortunately, where Bucky and Steve would pull up their never ending list of films and they’d watch two or three in quick succession together.

Bucky spent a lot of time with her, nearly as much as Tony some days and she liked it. She definitely enjoyed his company and he always did his best to bring her out of whatever bad head space she might be in on any given day. It was up and down for her, but she was learning to deal with it. Even Steve played a huge part in her every day. He’d come in from his morning run, stinking to high heaven and back-mind you, Steve Rogers stink was far more tolerable than most, just sayin’-and flick on the lights, draw open the curtains and have her wide awake before the nurse was even in the building.

He’d put on a pot of coffee for her, flick on the television if she asked for it. He’d tried to put on the radio one morning, but she’d asked him in an all too stilted voice to turn it off and he’d done his best to make sure the others knew not to turn it on unless she asked. It hadn’t been playing music at the time, but the potential had been there and he thought that might be what had upset her.

The room wasn’t quiet, despite not having the radio on, as there was usually a rerun of an old TV show running in the background. _Friends_ and _I Love Lucy_ seemed to be her favourites along with random episodes of _The Simpsons_ and _Family Guy_ and something Peter had introduced her to as _Bob’s Burgers_. Clint, Sam and Natasha would show up with cookies or food mostly and an obscure cult classic movie-Clint’s doing-that they thought she might enjoy. They’d always stick around to watch it with her. Steve always did his best to cheer her up and keep her spirits up while Peter and Wanda tended to do their best to normalize her day to day.

As in, Peter would bring in homework from school as well as his internship work. She’d always pursed her lips quietly and tried to get a look-see at his intern work, but he usually did it on his tablet and locked it whenever he left it unattended. His course work on most days was strewn about her giant king sized bed and they’d work through it together whenever she felt up to it.

And yes, the king sized bed had been requested by Tony and she sort of loved it and secretly-or not so secretly-they all did. It was big enough for two, for sure and definitely big enough for three or four of them sitting up and watching a movie or a TV program together. Sometimes Peter would stop by with his friend Ned who was all kinds of awkward when he first met Julie but turned out to be a pretty awesome friend. It was working out just fine with the room Tony had set up for her and Julie was grateful and she made sure to thank each and every person that spent time with her or helped her with just about everything.

There were days when the entire Team was drawn away for Avengers business, however, and Julie would be left alone with Jarvis and the all too quiet floor where she’d been laid up for going on two weeks now. She wasn’t in her own rooms yet because of the accessibility issues. There was a bathroom here that the nurses helped her in and out of for baths and the like. She’d been taken off of the catheter only a few days prior and was getting used to the idea of calling on someone to help her to the bathroom. She’d been embarrassed by it for the first little while, but it’d become normal enough now that she tried not to dwell on it too much.

She still had her casts on, from her hip down on the left side and from her thigh down on the right. Her collarbone was healing properly- _finally_ -and although she still wore a sling that kept her right arm immobile while it healed, she was able to move more than in the beginning. She was helped up out of bed and moved into a wheel chair that allowed for easy transfer with the accessible bathroom and she was immensely grateful she was at least able to take care of herself in that respect.

Bathing was a little more difficult, but she was able to do the majority of it herself if she didn’t need to wash her hair that day. She wore loose fitting hospital gowns most of the time, but at least these ones didn’t have the revealing open back and tied up properly. Meals were brought to her regularly either by the nurses or whomever happened to be around and wanted to order take-out or felt like cooking. There was a small kitchen attached to the room she was currently residing in and the Team took to making meals there when they were able.

Her room was never quiet thanks to her friends being mother hens and she really was glad for it, even if they sometimes were a little _too_ motherly. She was still immensely grateful. On the days where the others were busy Avenging or Peter with school and what-have-you, she did her best to entertain herself with books or television and tried to avoid the news. She didn’t always succeed unfortunately and Jarvis would calmly alert her when he thought her heart-rate was becoming too high for his liking.

She was grateful, always so grateful for his watchful eye and the rest of the Team’s and made sure to tell them so whenever she could. There was one such afternoon where she was alone with her thoughts, the Team having been drawn away for some unnamed villain of the week and she hadn’t felt like watching TV or reading or much of anything, really. Beth had left just a few minutes ago for the night, the night nurses on standby if she needed anything. She’d been bathed, hair washed, bed-sheets changed and in a fresh gown, she did feel more herself, but she couldn’t bring herself to do any of the things she truly used to enjoy.

She settled back against the mountain of pillows behind her, gaze drifting towards the table at her bedside. There was a tablet there, her iPad, actually. Tony had brought it by, along with her charger and StarkPhone. She hadn’t touched them since he’d left them there for her. That had been on the second day she’d arrived home.

 _Home._ Her mind echoed and she closed her eyes for a moment against the wave of emotion that flowed over her in response. She inhaled deeply and reached for her iPad. If she was home and this _was_ her _home_ , she had better settle in properly and maybe try and get back to work. Back to some semblance of normalcy.

She thumbed the power button and waited for it to boot up, the apple logo lighting up the screen for a long moment. When she unlocked it with a gentle press of her thumb, the background image, a photo she had taken when Tony had brought her to Miami of the beach they’d spent the day together at lit up the screen. A dry sob caught in her throat and she stared down at the screen with tears filling her eyes. She frowned, managing to collect herself enough as she opened up a couple of her modified apps.

Contrary to what Tony thought and what she’d failed to divulge to him, her iPad was not _really_ an iPad. She’s made some… _modifications._ As it were. She pulled up a coding program and then her most recent project, Bucky’s arm. Her fingers stilled, hovering above the screen but she couldn’t bring herself to go any further. She just stared down at the screen, willing herself to move to do _anything_ at all, but nothing came to her; no inspiration, no new ideas, no… _nothing._ Belatedly, she realized she hadn’t once asked Bucky how he was doing with the new arm since she’d woken up and felt intense guilt wash over her.

She’d had ideas before the accident, ideas on how to improve her invention, The Cradle, but now, now she couldn’t draw on them at all. Frustration welled up inside of her and she locked the device and hastily shoved it back on the side table. Maybe if she forgot it existed, it would somehow help. It didn’t help and the thought that she’d never be able to work on the things she loved ate away at her for the rest of the night, along with the guilt of never having checked in with Bucky. She’d be sure to ask him about it next she saw him.

But it wasn’t just the work she thought about losing her passion for. It was about technology, music, singing and dancing and laughing and just… _everything._ If she lost her desire and passion for _all_ _of that_ , she wasn’t sure she could live like that. She closed her eyes, turning onto her side as much as she was able. She wanted to sleep, but with the Team away Avenging, she knew she wouldn’t be able to. That was something at least. Her love for them had only grown stronger through it all, her love for Tony had only grown deeper and that was something.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and forced herself to take a few deep breaths before she asked Jarvis about their status and if he had a time frame for their arrival. It wouldn’t be long, maybe a couple more hours and they’d arrive home and she would pretend to be sleeping when Tony would no doubt slip into her room and press a kiss to her hair. She would pretend to be sleeping while she felt Steve and Bucky card their fingers through her hair sometime later and she would pretend to be sleeping when Peter would sneak in and adjust her blankets.

It had become the norm and although most times she really was asleep when they returned at some ungodly hour, there were so many more where she wasn’t. She never called them out on it, though. She liked that they cared and only wished she could somehow show them how much she cared for them, how grateful she was to have them in her life. She figured it would all work itself out somehow in the end. She wouldn’t be wrong, either.

. a few days later .

“You mean you _still_ haven’t met him?” Ned asked, disbelief written all over his face.

Julie’s brows furrowed as she regarded her new friend. “No…” She said slowly. “I haven’t met Spider-Man.”

Peter stilled, hand poised on the bathroom door to let himself back into Julie’s room. He had heard their muffled conversation through the door, but just barely, but now pressing his ear against the wood, he tried to hear more.

“But he’s an Avenger-“ Ned blurted. “And you’re like, best friends with all of them.”

Julie huffed a nervous laugh. “They are all people I consider very close friends yes, but I don’t know that I’m their best friend-“

“ _Bullshit_ -“ Ned breathed and Peter was surprised they hadn’t heard his own exclamation.

There was a pause on the other side of the door and Peter stilled, waiting for them to continue. “They’re totally your best friends, they like, come and see you and bring you stuff, Mr. Stark is so in love with you it’s-“

“Please don’t finish that sentence,” Julie whined. “I-the Avengers are my friends and maybe I’m their friend too and Tony and I…well, we-we’re working on it-“ She finished lamely and Peter made a face and then belatedly wondered if Ned was making the same face.

“That’s great and all-“ Ned went on. “But they’re totally your best friends, the Avengers, I mean.”

Julie sighed softly and Peter strained to hear her through the door. “They are _my_ best friends,” She conceded and Peter smiled warmly to himself. “And just because I’m close with them, doesn’t mean I’ve met all of them, I mean, I _know_ of them, but Spider-Man never seems to stick around after missions and never comes to movie nights or Sunday breakfasts-“

“ _I_ never get to come to those either-“ Ned stated petulantly and that surprised a soft laugh out of Julie.

“ _Ned_ -“ She said fondly and it was fond; they maybe hadn’t known each other long but he was a sweet kid, overexcitable for sure, but still a sweet kid. “You and Peter are always welcome to come to movie nights and Sunday breakfasts and any other meal time you’d like. Peter’s not an Avenger and neither am I and yet _we’re_ always around.”

Ned hummed thoughtfully. “Sounds good to me, although, I do still think it’s a shame that you haven’t met Spider-Man yet.”

Julie hummed out a soft affirmative and from what Peter could discern, picked up one of the controllers to the retro Nintendo Tony had brought by; she looked funny playing with it, half of the controller wedged up between her sling clasped in her bad arm and the other half cradled with her good, but she’d insisted on being able to play _and_ kick their asses.

So far she hadn’t disappointed them.

“It is a shame,” She agreed. “I always thought he sort of looked sexy in all that spandex-“ She said teasingly and Peter’s cheeks were flushing at the compliment, however, he was just as quickly rolling his eyes at Ned’s indignant squawk.

He didn’t bother waiting to hear Ned’s no doubt _lengthy_ opinion on the matter of Spider-Man’s suit and opened the door, intending on derailing the conversation as fast as humanly possible and hoping that neither picked up on his blush.

.

Nearly a month went by without much in the way of issues for Julie and the close knit group. There were still bad days, but there were good days too. Julie’s collarbone had healed up quite well and she’d been assured that there would be no lasting damage done if she was studious about going through with physiotherapy. She was all for it and when Tony informed her that she would have a woman starting with her on Monday to help gain her arm’s mobility back, she was happy to hear it.

She knew she’d have a lot of work ahead of her and she tried to remain positive in the face of the others, but she did wonder if she’d ever be the same. She felt so beaten down most days, just down in a way she hadn’t experienced before. She wondered if it was depression, but tried her best not to think about it too hard. It wouldn’t help anything to worry when she had so many friends there for her.

They were moving her back into her apartment in a couple of days, they said they wanted to tidy it up for her before she returned and have her fridge fully stocked and the like. She assumed it was more for the group’s peace of mind than for hers and besides, she knew Team dinners and movie nights and probably Sunday breakfasts would simply move over to her apartment instead of her recovery room. They never wanted to have one without her and this would no doubt simply give them extra room for them to be around. She really couldn’t mind.

The first night after having her arm out of the sling, she challenged Bucky to an arm wrestle. It’d gone _spectacularly,_ with Bucky collapsing in a heap on the floor, the Team in absolute stitches while Julie fist-pumped the air in sweet, sweet victory. They’d all had a good laugh and Julie had hugged each and every one of her friends and said thank you in the right way; there never was a sweeter way to show someone your gratitude than through a _proper_ hug.

That evening they’d all had dinner together in her recovery room. They’d ordered sushi, just because, and now they were all relaxing and chatting together getting ready to put on a movie. That’s when to Julie’s immeasurable surprise, Spider-Man walked in.

Tony was sitting on her left, a small smile on his face as he watched her head snap towards the sound of the Team greeting the superhero. He was in the full spider suit and was currently being hugged against Steve’s side as the blond drew him further into the room.

“Hey guys-“ Spider-Man greeted, giving a small wave towards the group, eyes roving over Natasha, Wanda and then settling on Julie. “And gals.”

Julie was sitting ram-rod straight in her bed, mouth hanging open in absolute surprise as the superhero made his way closer to her bed, slipping out from Steve’s half embrace. “Hi there,” Spider-Man greeted cheerfully. “You must be Julie.”

Julie’s brain sort of did a thing-er, or lack there of-and she spluttered for a moment before shoving her newly freed right hand in his general direction as best she could. “ _Hi-_ “ She breathed, much too quiet. “Y-yes, that’s-I’m Julie-“

Spider-Man laughed lightly and Julie’s insides melted. He had a great laugh. “It’s great to finally meet you, Julie. I’ve heard a lot about you from this bunch,” He confessed, tipping his head towards the others.

She laughed and it came out nervous and a bit manic and only made the others try harder to stifle their amused grins. Spider-Man was smiling at her, she could tell just by the way the whites of his eyes seemed to almost squint and she imagined it was a _great_ _smile_ too. She was sure of it.

But then he was grasping her outstretched hand and cradling it ever so gently in his gloved hand as he turned it over, drawing the back of her hand in close as he bent to press a kiss against her knuckles. She giggled, honest to God, _giggled_ and Tony lost it. He burst into riotous laughter beside her and Julie blinked, elbowing his side roughly as she smiled brightly up at the masked hero.

“It’s great to finally meet you too, Spider-Man,” She confessed, cheeks flushed a happy, albeit slightly embarrassed pink as the spider relinquished his grasp on her outstretched hand.

Spider-Man chuckled, still smiling as he nodded towards Tony. “You did warn me,” He admitted. “And yet I still wasn’t prepared.”

Julie glanced towards Tony and then back to Spider-Man. “I know, _right?_ ” Tony agreed, still chuckling lightly as he wiped at his eyes.

Spider-Man grinned, shaking his head and Julie was so lost. “Warn you about what?” She blurted, shifting in her spot and looking warily back and forth between the pair.

“Oh, nothing, sweetheart,” Tony said, waving a hand dismissively and Julie arched a delicate brow and _stared_ him down for a beat; one did not simply call her sweetheart and get away with it so easily.

Tony cleared his throat, glancing at her nervously. “You know, that murder stare is coming along a little too nicely. You really need to stop hanging around with Barnes so much.”

Bucky laughed as he took up _his spot_ , at the end of the bed, sprawled out on his belly hugging a pillow as Steve sat down on the floor at the foot of the bed, head resting back against the blankets to Julie’s left. Everyone was starting to get comfortable, pulling over chairs or curling up on what spot they could find on the bed or the floor, blankets and pillows and the like strewn about on just about every available surface.

“Uh huh, what did he warn you about?” She demanded, glancing over at Spider-Man who was now moving to pull up a chair.

Spider-Man shook his head, tipping his head towards her as he regarded her quietly for a minute. “He warned me that you always did get a bit starstruck around superhero’s and that you’d get the sweetest blush and probably stammer a little bit. He wasn’t exactly _wrong_ ,” He informed her, gaze lingering on her for a moment before he winked; the mask doing a very exaggerated winking motion in return.

A sort of surprised, delighted and yet ultimately embarrassing sound escaped her then and she covered her face feeling absolutely mortified that her cheeks had gone tomato level red. Spider-Man laughed, reaching out to her and setting his gloved hand against her forearm. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetheart. _I_ happen to think you blush as sweetly as he’d said you would.”

Julie’s heart did a thing and she laughed nervously, coming out from behind her hands as she looked to the masked superhero. He was still looking at her and she did her best not to notice the way his thumb was rubbing a soothing circle against her skin. He was sweet and everything she expected out of the superhero, especially when the sass came out later during the film they were watching prompted a lively debate. He and Tony along with nearly _half_ of the group got into a spirited debate on whether or not the whole _Alien_ thing was really plausible.

Because yes, they’d chosen to watch not just the original film, but the whole series including the AVP spinoff series and then the newer ones like _Resurrection_ and _Covenant._ It was a great night and Julie was just beside herself after finally getting to meet the masked superhero. He was sassy and funny and smart and sweet and she quietly smiled to herself after he’d said his goodbye’s at the end of their film-fest and gone on his way.

Most of the Team fizzled out after that, saying their goodnight’s and the like, promising to see her tomorrow. She let Steve and Bucky kiss her cheeks and although sleepy, didn’t push Tony to leave right away too when she’d seen him hang back from the group. He looked thoughtful as he stood there, hands in his pockets and rocking back on the balls of his feet. He was looking out the window, clearly thinking about something but making no move to share whatever it was just then.

She took a moment to just look at him while she had the chance. She always loved admiring him, he was good looking, go figure. She smiled softly to herself, letting her eyes wander over his frame. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans with far too many rips, but they were clearly well loved, along with just a plain black t-shirt that was stretched nicely across his chest. She could see the faint outline of the Arc-Reactor hidden beneath it, as well as the soft blue glow that was only partially visible through the material, his biceps on full display and forearms too.

His darker locks were a tousled mess that she knew she’d never fail to fall in love with each and every time she got to see it flop into his eyes. It’d grown a little longer as of late and she hadn’t failed to notice the few streaks of grey at his temples either. She loved him all the more for it since she was pretty sure she had been the one to put them there.

He turned his gaze towards her a moment later and she blushed lightly at having been caught staring. He never seemed to mind though and returned the smile in kind. “I have something for you,” He murmured after a moment, drawing her attention instantly.

She looked to him curiously. “Oh?”

He hummed. “Something to _return_ to you, actually,” He confessed, walking over to where he’d dropped his sweater on the bed.

Julie’s brows furrowed slightly as she watched him fiddle with his hoodie pockets. “I thought they’d somehow lost it in evidence at first, but uh, managed to locate it after a bit,” He told her, pulling out-of all things-her stupid iPod Classic.

Julie’s eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise as he offered it to her with outstretched hands. She didn’t immediately grasp it though and instead looked up at him with sudden tears in her eyes. “I-I’d forgotten I had it with me that-I’d forgotten-“ She finished, swallowing past the lump in her throat before tentatively reaching out and accepting the item.

Tony nodded jerkily, withdrawing his hand as he watched her cradle the iPod carefully in her lap. “I figured you’d had it with you,” He said, clearing his throat. “I know how much you love that thing and I thought I’d see if I could track it down.”

She nodded, but she looked as if she were in a daze and Tony did his best not to push her too much about it. She blinked slowly before looking back up at him, hands still clutching the iPod protectively. “Thank you, Tony,” She murmured. “I really do appreciate you getting it back for me.”

“No problem,” He said honestly. “I should get going though, let you sleep and get your rest.”

Julie nodded for a moment, but then just as quickly shook her head. Tony’s look of confusion was there for only a moment before she was setting the iPod down beside her hip and reaching out to him. “I’d like to give you a hug-a _proper_ one,” She said quietly and Tony’s insides melted a little at that.

“Yeah?” He asked shyly and in what universe was Tony Stark ever shy? Well, this one, apparently.

She nodded, smiling shyly herself at him as he braced a knee against the bed and leaned in closer. Her thin arms slipped around his neck, her hands settling against his back and shoulders as she pulled him in close. He wrapped his arms carefully around her middle, closing his eyes as he pressed his cheek against her hair. He felt her breathe in deeply as she pressed her face in close to the crook of his neck and soon his eyelashes were fluttering closed as he held her that much closer, wanting to breathe her in just the same.

They stayed like that for a long moment, her murmured, “Thank you,” barely above a whisper as he pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered, “I love you.”

He could feel her shuddery breath as she let him go and he reluctantly pulled back to look her over. She wouldn’t meet his gaze for a moment and he knew it wasn’t because of what he’d said, not really. He knew she loved him in her own way, she just wasn’t ready yet, he understood, he did. He couldn’t say it didn’t hurt not to have her say it back, but he knew she needed time to work through everything that had happened and he wouldn’t press.

When she did meet his gaze a moment later, she still had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling softly up at him as she reached out and cupped his cheek, feeling the smoothness of his skin and the brush of his facial hair against her fingertips. She let out a slow breath and he watched her bright blue eyes flit to his lips for the briefest of moments before settling on his eyes once more. He wanted to kiss her, he really did, but he needed a clear sign before he could make that move and he didn’t think that was it.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat and turned to press a kiss to her open palm instead before she pulled it away and let it settle in her lap. “Good night, Julie,” He murmured softly, getting up from the bed and making his way towards the door.

“Good night, Tony. Sleep well,” She breathed, watching as he slipped from the room.

She stay like that for some time, staring off into the doorway where he’d disappeared. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, because of course she did, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, not yet. Not with the way she felt about herself right then. She knew she was struggling with coming to terms with her new life and although she wasn’t sure how the rest of her recovery would go, she didn’t think she’d ever be the same.

The doctors had told her that they didn’t think she’d ever be able to dance again, let alone run. She wanted to prove them wrong, but some days she wasn’t so sure. Maybe they would be right and when next month when they would remove the casts, she’d see and actually _feel_ the damage that had been done to her legs and realize they were right. She didn’t want to think like that, but she couldn’t not some days.

She wanted to prove them wrong, she’d thought she was stronger than that, but anyone who has ever struggled with depression in any form will tell you that it’s never quite that simple. Regardless, she knew she’d never lose her friends because of it, she hoped she never would and if she believed it to be so, then all would be right in the world for her.

Unfortunately depression is an evil, merciless parasite that feeds on hope, feeds on dreams and when your defences are down, you are prone to its evil and as Julie reached for her iPod, untangling the headphone cord wound around the device, she didn’t know that she was opening herself up to it quite so much.

She stared thoughtfully down at the dark screen of her iPod before unlocking it and scrolling through the artists. She swallowed hard and with shaky hands, slipped the earbuds into her ears. She took her time selecting a song and when she’d settled upon _When the Day Met the Night_ by Panic, one of the songs that she realized Tony secretly had fallen in love with and hummed whenever he thought no one was listening, she wasn’t prepared for the wave of emotion that enveloped her.

She sobbed brokenly, hands clasping over her mouth in an attempt to quiet them as tears began to fall. She let herself listen to the music, the opening few lines washing over her like the ocean, only she felt as if she were beginning to tire and drown. Her vision was bleary at best as she blinked through her tears, hitching breaths and hiccuping sobs escaping her as she realized she would probably never be able to listen to music again, because music was everything to her.

When she listened to music, she wanted to dance, she wanted to run and skip, let the music _move her._ And now…now she couldn’t do that.

In a fit of pure rage, terror and helplessness, she ripped the earbuds from her ears, snatched up the iPod and whipped it as hard as she could away from her. It flung to the left with such force it struck the wall and she could hear the splinter of metal and glass as it tinkled to the floor in no doubt a dozen or more pieces.

She shook her head, grasping at her hair as she bent over her legs, crying fitfully as she began to shake with the realization that she would never enjoy music again, never be able to dance gain, never be able to-

She gasped brokenly, wrenching herself sideways as she pulled the blankets over her. She was uncomfortably twisted, her casts making her hips hurt with the way she was splayed, but she didn’t care, couldn’t care, not when that was the least of her worries. Because now she was too caught up in the thought of never getting to do what she loved most, never getting to do what she had wanted to do most of _all._

She wanted to dance for Tony, _with_ Tony. She wanted to dance for him and fall into his arms and tell him with all the certainty and love of a woman who is passionate and carefree that she _loved him_. And now, now she knew she could never allow him to love a cripple and she knew that was what she would be. She would never be the same, never dance, never run, never-

She whimpered, shaking her head as she buried her face in her pillows. Her blonde hair was wet with her tears, her pillows streaked with it, her cheeks red and blotchy from crying and when Jarvis called Tony and asked him to check on her not long after, Tony still thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek as she slept, pushed her hair back from her face and readjusted her blankets, all without knowing what had gone on in her thoughts when she’d put on that song before she’d cried herself to sleep some time later. He had a feeling he might never know and it scared him, because the last thing he wanted was for her to keep it all bottled in.

.

Two days later, when she’d safely settled into her rooms, a few new accessibility options for her added on; she was settling into bed, having spent the evening watching _I Love Lucy_ with Steve and Bucky on her living room couch. She was drawing the covers about her and happened to glance towards her nightstand only to immediately still as she caught sight of her iPod miraculously repaired and sitting on her bedside table looking as inconspicuous as ever.

With shaking hands the reached out towards it, the tips of her fingers brushing against it. She wasn’t sure it was real for a moment and then tentatively picked it up. She looked it over, finding it looked practically brand new. She turned it over carefully in her hands and stilled when she found a sticky note attached to the back. It simply read; ‘ _You dropped this. - T_ _xo_. _’_

She didn’t know when she had started crying, but as she clutched the iPod to her chest and buried her face into her pillow, her cheeks were wet and her eyes began to sting, her chest tight from the effort of keeping it all bottled in because she knew Steve and Bucky were still tidying up in the living room. She shook her head into the pillow whimpering softly as she clearly struggled with the effort.

She was so thankful, so, _so_ thankful to have Tony in her life and she hoped beyond _hope_ that he knew how grateful she was to him.

… Tony knew.


	31. Thirty-One

It only took a few days to get settled back in her own rooms, into some sense of a routine too. She met her new physiotherapist, an older woman named Linda who was kind and sweet and did her best to push Julie to her limits. She struggled at first, gaining the mobility in her arm and shoulder back was hard work. She found her collarbone to click awkwardly almost constantly as she started with the more complicated stretches, but Linda assured her it would get better. In time.

 _Time_. Something Julie thought she had plenty of and maybe she still did, but now she felt pressured in a way she’d never been before. She couldn’t explain it exactly, but that old saying, ‘never enough time in a day’ seemed to ring true to her more now than ever.

She was growing restless, more and more so with each passing day and her friends were beginning to notice and did their best to keep her from potential injury if she tried too hard or too fast. She was insisting on using the wheelchair only when she absolutely needed it and with the inability to use crutches, she was forced to use it more often than not. There had been more than a few occasions where she’d been caught trying to drag herself from one space to the next and unfortunately, no amount of Steve using his Captain America voice on her was going to apparently stop her from at least _trying_.

It was a long few weeks before the doctors finally decided on a date to remove her casts and told Julie of their plan. She’d asked they keep it quiet, not wanting any extra attention or fuss come time. She’d had Linda informed and the doctors were quick to assure her that once the casts were removed and x-rays conducted, Linda would receive the results so that she could work out a plan of action to begin physio on her legs as well.

The doctors scheduled the removal for a week after they’d made the decision and Julie had kept tight lipped about the whole thing. A few of the group had picked up on the odd behaviour. She had grown quiet, contemplative and could be found staring off into space more often than not. They knew something was up, but none had figured it out until the day was upon them.

Julie hadn’t come to the group’s usual breakfast on Wednesday morning and when Steve went to wake her while Bucky, Wanda, Thor, Bruce, Natasha and Clint were gathered in her apartment’s kitchen making breakfast, he found her bedroom empty.

He stilled in the doorway, gaze moving from the bed to the open bathroom door, but the light was off and Julie wasn’t in her room. “J-Jarvis?” He queried softly. “Where’s Julie?”

“Miss Julie is at an appointment this morning, Captain,” Jarvis replied.

Steve swallowed. “She didn’t say anything about an appointment-“

“It would seem that way, yes,” Jarvis continued and Steve paused, unsure about the phrasing.

“She didn’t tell anyone? What-do you know what the appointment is for?” Steve asked nervously, wondering why she wouldn’t have simply told them that she’d be out in the morning for said appointment.

“I am not at liberty to discuss her schedule with you, Captain. I do apologize-“

“No, _no._ Of course not, Jarvis. I’m sorry for asking, I’m just-“

“ _Worried-_ “ Bucky said from the hallway, prompting Steve to turn to look at his lover.

Bucky was standing there in his pyjamas looking sleepy and concerned with a cup of coffee cradled in his hands and it wasn’t for him or for Steve, the blond knew. It was in Julie’s favourite mug, a red one that said; **_I am Female. Fe=Iron Male=Man Therefore I am Iron Man._** The mug had mysteriously shown up in her cabinet one day and she had forever claimed it as her favourite.

Steve nodded, brows pinched in concern as he walked towards his lover. “I understand your concern,” Jarvis consoled. “Let me assure you that all is well and she will be returning to her quarters within the hour.”

Bucky looked up at the blond nodding quietly and then he wrapped his arms around Bucky’s middle, mindful of the coffee as Bucky too slipped a hand around his lover. “Do you think-“ Bucky started to ask, but had to shake his head at himself.

Steve pulled himself out of the hug and tugged the brunet along with him gently back towards the kitchen. “Jarvis says she’s alright, Buck. M-maybe she’s just in for a checkup.”

“Or maybe-“ Natasha murmured, suddenly right there in front of them, phone in hand as she brandished it at them. “She’s-“

Her phone started ringing, cutting her off and she arched a brow as the screen lit up with Tony’s caller ID photo. She blinked and then swiped the screen to answer the call, putting him on speaker. “ _Natasha_ -“ Came Tony’s worried voice. “Are you with Julie right now?”

Natasha frowned down at the phone. “No, we were just-“

“She’s in the med bay having her casts removed!” Tony shouted. “Is _anyone_ with her?” He burst out.

Bucky and Steve’s jaws dropped open in surprise. They hadn’t known. “We didn’t know-“ Steve breathed and Tony cursed.

They could hear the rustle of fabric and then Tony was shouting at someone to get the car ready and to call ahead to the airport. “ _Tony-_ “ Steve sighed.

“I’m coming home, it’ll take me a bit, but I’m coming home,” Tony rushed out.

“You’re in _Shanghai_ -“ Bucky sighed.

“And I didn’t even want to come in the first place!” Tony shouted and it sounded sort of distant so they imagined he was yelling at Pepper.

“ _Tony-_ “ Steve tried again. “You don’t need to come home, okay? I’m going to go down to medical now and see how it’s going. She didn’t tell us they were removing the casts for a _reason_ , Tony. So just, think about that for a minute, _alright?_ ” Steve stressed to his friend.

Tony inhaled sharply, the other end of the line going quiet. Natasha was looking down at the phone in concern, as were Bucky and when Steve looked just past them, he could see, Thor, Clint, Wanda and Bruce watching them worriedly.

“Okay, o-okay,” Tony murmured, much quieter now; _resigned,_ Steve’s brain supplied.

Tony really did not like not being there for her and this, this was important. He should have been there for her. Steve closed his eyes for a moment. “She’ll be alright, Tony. I’ll call you back later once I’ve talked to her, figured things out, okay?” Steve consoled.

“Okay,” Tony whispered and Steve visibly relaxed.

“You get some sleep, alright? I know you’ve had a long day of meetings and it’s late there,” Steve tried, but Tony’s scoff assured him that the man wouldn’t be getting much sleep, if any.

“Yeah, okay,” Tony muttered. “Call me back as soon as you’ve seen her.”

“I will,” Steve consoled, listening as Tony said his goodbye as did Natasha and Bucky.

As soon as she’d hung up the phone, Steve was in motion, heading towards the doors, Bucky and Natasha in tow. He stopped just shy of the door, however, and turned to look at his friends. “What’s wrong?” Bucky asked nervously, watching his lover pause unexpectedly.

“I-“ Steve started, but had to stop himself. “I don’t know that I should be the one to-“ He huffed, shaking his head. “ _Christ_ , I wish Tony were here,” He confessed shakily.

Bucky placed a comforting hand against his shoulder, brows creased in worry. “Steve,” He murmured. “I can-I can go if you want, bring her some coffee and just- _check_ -on her.”

Steve inhaled slowly as he nodded, turning to look at his lover. “You sure you’re okay to go?” He asked gently.

Bucky nodded, still cradling Julie’s coffee in his right hand. He glanced at his left hand as it flexed, drawing Steve and Natasha’s eyes for an instant. “I know it’s not the same,” Bucky murmured, spreading his metal fingers.

Steve nodded in understanding, relief shining in his eyes. “Alright,” He whispered. “Just, come and talk to us, so we can tell Tony.”

Bucky nodded, glancing between his friends who were now much closer and looking to him worriedly. “I’ll be back in a bit,” He consoled, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the blond’s lips. Steve kissed him back chastely and then Bucky was slipping out the door, Natasha’s fingertips brushing against his elbow in a little sign of her own support.

.

When Bucky arrived at medical, he had no trouble tracking down Julie. He managed to snag a doctor and ask a couple of questions, but hadn’t been able to get a lot of clear answers. Julie was free to go, but she’d asked to have a few minutes alone before someone could help her back to her room. So Bucky approached the small recovery room where he’d been told Julie was resting.

The door was ajar and he stepped into the doorway, taking a cautious look into the small room. He found Julie sitting up in a bed, wearing yet another hospital gown, this one a simple forest green. She was staring down at her hands as they clutched the hem of her gown, her legs splayed out in front of her…uncovered.

“Julie?” He called softly, unable to stop himself.

She inhaled sharply, startled gaze snapping towards him as he took a tentative step into the room. “ _Bucky-_ “ She whispered shakily and Bucky watched as she tried to grasp the sheets she was laying atop and try to cover her legs.

He shook his head slowly, walking towards her. He stilled her hands with his own, pulling her hand up and instead, pressed the cup of coffee into her somewhat shaky grasp. He helped her hold it until he was sure she had a proper grip on it and then sat down on the edge of the bed. He calmly met her gaze and found her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Hey now,” He murmured, reaching up and cupping her cheek with his flesh and blood hand.

She looked up at him, her lower lip quivering as he held her gaze. She couldn’t hold his, her eyes dropping to the cup of coffee in her hands. She swallowed hard and then shakily lifted the mug to her lips, taking a small sip. It was still hot and she looked down just as Bucky placed his metal palm against her covered hip, the warmth of it seeping through the light cloth.

She blinked, lowering the cup to her lap and forced herself to look back up into his concerned eyes. “L-like the warming f-function, I see,” She whispered.

Bucky smiled at her, shrugging slightly. “It has its benefits.”

Julie couldn’t help smiling at him in response, gaze flickering down towards her legs. Bucky didn’t let himself follow the same path, instead, he rubbed his metal thumb against her hip, drawing her attention. “How are you doing, hun?” He asked gently.

She shook her head slightly, looking down at her cup of coffee. Bucky didn’t press, just let her sip her coffee and take a few calming breaths. “Sorry I-“

“Don’t apologize,” Bucky scolded gently.

She swallowed, mouth clicking shut automatically. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Julie,” He continued, hand still a soothing warmth against her hip.

She nodded jerkily before attempting to meet his gaze. “Okay,” She breathed quietly.

Bucky hummed softly in response and she looked up at him for a long moment. “Would you like to talk to me about why you didn’t want someone with you today?”

Julie didn’t reply right away and instead lowered her gaze to her coffee once again. Bucky didn’t press and simply waited for her to find her voice. She inhaled shakily a moment later and Bucky watched as she raised her gaze to him.

“I didn’t want anyone to see,” She whispered, voice cracked and scared and Bucky’s heart broke a little.

He grasped her hip a little firmer, trying to ground her and she barely suppressed a whimper as he shifted closer into her space. “See what, honey?” He probed, knowing the answer but not willing to leave it stuck in her own head.

“See how _broken_ I am-“ She practically choked, the tears finally escaping.

Bucky shook his head, frowning as he squeezed her hip a little tighter and then had to remind himself of his strength when her face pinched. He shook his head, firmer this time as he relaxed his hand, smoothing his palm up her side.

“You are _not_ **_broken_** ,” He reassured, taking the mug from her hands and setting it on the table beside them.

“ _Bucky-_ “ She tried to protest, but was immediately thwarted by the brunet grasping her wrists, hands slipping up to cup hers protectively as he drew them against his chest.

“You are not _broken_ or _damaged_ or **_anything_ ** of the sort, do you hear me?” He breathed lowly and she trembled at the sound of the steely authority in his voice.

She nodded, not trusting her own voice for the moment and he shook his head as he watched more tears fall, wetting her cheeks. “I can’t have you thinking that about yourself, honey,” He murmured and tried not to wince when she shot him a slightly annoyed look; but really, it wasn’t _too_ annoyed.

“I’m sorry-“ She breathed and Bucky shook his head gently.

“I know, _I know_ ,” He soothed, letting go of her hands to run his flesh and blood fingers through her hair.

Julie tried to hold back her whimper and he sighed, still caressing her hair. “I know this is hard and I know you’re scared and it’s _okay_ to be scared,” He consoled. “But it’s not okay to think that you’re broken, honey. It isn’t,” He murmured.

She nodded shakily, blinking away the tears. Bucky watched before trying to brush some of them away, letting her lower her hands to her lap. They were quiet for a few minutes, just breathing in each other's space and then he was drawing his hands away from her, folding them neatly in his lap. “I want to help you, Julie, I want to be there for you, we _all_ do, but I won’t do anything you’re not okay with and neither will the others,” He explained quietly.

She swallowed hard, listening to him and unable to look away from his concerned gaze, the blue-grey of his eyes so incredibly striking in the brightly lit room. She inhaled deeply, blinking past the urge to cry as she searched for her voice. “I’m not ready f-for anyone to see m-m-my _legs_ -“ She gasped.

Bucky nodded, unable to stop his brows from pinching up in concern. “Okay, Julie,” He murmured. “I’m not okay with your decision and most likely your reasoning, but okay,” He explained. “I will respect your wishes and so will the others.”

Julie choked back a sob, hands reaching up to cover her mouth as she nodded, squeezing her eyes shut as she turned her head away. Bucky frowned as he watched her struggle with her emotions and then calmly wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in close. She clutched tightly at the front of his shirt as she finally let go and wept into his neck and Bucky closed his eyes against the picture she made.

As he held her, he pulled the sheet over her legs without looking. He was serious when he said he would respect her wishes and he’d be sure she knew that. So, he helped her cover herself and then went looking for a pair of pants and a shirt for her, the medical wing having plenty of scrubs to offer. He stepped outside to let her change and a few minutes later she was opening the door.

She wouldn’t meet his eyes as she wheeled herself out of the room, now settled in her wheelchair and Bucky frowned quietly to himself as he walked alongside her back to their floor. As they reached her apartment’s front door he stopped her, a gentle hand upon her shoulder. She stilled and when he didn’t move to say anything or open the door, she forced herself to look up at him.

Her eyes were red and the skin around them was puffy. It was clear she had been crying and it would be obvious to the others, he only hoped they wouldn’t say anything about it. “When you’re ready, Julie-” He murmured. “I will be here to help in any way that I can…because you have seen me, honey. You have seen me, scars and all and I know you don’t think any less of me for them, just as I would never think less of you and neither would the others,” He breathed in deeply and then, “I hope you know that, Julie.”

She was shaking beneath his hand he realized and he squeezed her shoulder gently in reassurance. She nodded then, still looking up into his eyes and knowing he was being sincere, _genuine_. “I-I do know that, Bucky. I _do_ -“ She stressed the words to him. “But I-I can’t-I-I’m not ready-“

Bucky nodded, he understood, he really did. Probably better than most, save for maybe Tony. He didn’t know how he was going to explain this all to the man, but he would, he would. “Okay sweetheart, let’s get you some breakfast,” He whispered before pushing open the door and following her inside.

.

Bucky called Tony soon after breakfast, having sent the man several texts during to appease him. Tony hadn’t taken the news well, upset that he’d not been there for her and that Bucky had had the opportunity and not him. He wasn’t jealous, not really, he just wished he could have been the one there for her. So instead of coming home a week later like he’d initially planned, he headed home the next afternoon. Bucky knew he needn’t have worried so much, as did the others, but there was no stopping a determined Tony Stark.

Bucky had done what he could to explain things to the others when Julie wasn’t around and it didn’t go over well, but they respected her wishes, just as he knew they would. The next few days passed by slowly and they all did what they could for her. She was getting stronger every day and since starting physiotherapy with Linda to work on gaining strength back in her legs, things had gotten better, or, so they’d thought.

Three days after Tony had arrived home, he was walking to the gym looking for Julie. He’d run into Linda in the atrium after having arrived home from a meeting with Pepper. He’d wanted to pick up a latte for himself and Julie and see if he could coax her to come down to the communal floor for dinner and a movie night instead of having everyone up in her apartment. But when he’d run into Linda and asked how Julie’s therapy was going, the woman had sighed and shaken her head.

“I think she’s just frustrated,” Linda explained. “I’m moving too slowly for her,” She sighed. “But it’s the right way to do things, she can’t expect to just rush into this sort of thing and see results-“

Tony frowned, nodding in agreement. “I understand, really I do.”

Linda huffed, shaking her head. “It’s only been a few days and she’s already doing better than any of us could have anticipated, but I don’t want her to get hurt, Mr. Stark. You understand, don’t you?”

“Of course,” He consoled, grasping the woman’s shoulders in comfort and Linda visibly relaxed, nodding to herself.

“But Julie…” He murmured after a moment. “She’s not-she really isn’t like anyone else.”

Linda looked up at him then, his hands releasing her shoulders. “She’s not content to take things slow, even if it’s what’s best for her. She’s stronger than most too,” He sighed. “Maybe she needs to be pushed a bit harder than most and I’m not telling you how to do your job-“ He hastened to add, seeing the slightly affronted scowl forming on the woman’s face.

“But Julie is different, so just…humour me and maybe try being a little bit harder on her and try not to worry about what you think she is capable of right now…because I think we’re underestimating her more than we care to admit,” He confessed, giving the woman a slightly crooked smile.

Linda pursed her lips slightly as she regarded the man but after a moment, she nodded curtly. “You might be right, Mr. Stark. I’ll-I’ll take that into consideration and perhaps rethink my strategy with her. Thank you.”

Tony nodded slightly, taking in a deeper breath. “Thank you, Linda. It’s appreciated.”

The woman merely nodded and when Tony inquired as to where Julie might be, she told him she’d left her in the gym where she had asked to remain to use the shower facilities there. Tony nodded, but something didn’t sit right with him about it. She didn’t usually stay behind to shower after her physio sessions, Linda thought it odd too, but was unable to really say anything about it to her, so she hadn’t. Tony thanked her and then abandoned his quest for coffee and instead headed towards the gym.

When he arrived there, he didn’t know what to make of the scene in front of him. Because there was Julie, barefoot and clad in a pair of black leggings, a bright green t-shirt with Hulk’s face plastered across the front and for a moment, Tony found himself smiling fondly, until he realized what she was doing.

There were wooden bars set up for Julie to grasp onto, one on either side of her as she learned to support her own weight and walk again. They’d been installed a few weeks ago at Linda’s request along with serval other aids she had requested for Julie’s benefit in the future. But Linda hadn’t started working with her on those just yet. They’d been doing water therapy only at this point in the Team pool or so Tony had thought.

But here was Julie between the two bars, hands stretched high above her as she clutched at them and attempted to pull herself up. Her legs were folded beneath her, slightly twisted to her left and she was clearly struggling. She was sweating through her shirt in more than one place, the material dark with it and he knew she’d been pushing herself far too hard. Her hair was pulled back in a messy pony-tail and he could see sweat beading at her temples and along her neck, covering her arms.

He swallowed hard and watched as she attempted to pull herself up again, having been taking a slight break from her attempts when he’d walked in. She was breathing hard, taking deep gasping breaths and then holding it as she hissed through clenched teeth. He could see the small but defined muscles in her arms straining as she struggled, attempting to pull herself up. He could also see the strain in her legs as she fought to flex her muscles there in an attempt to support her own weight; to _stand_. But he knew she wasn’t capable yet, there wasn’t a chance and he quickly strode towards her hoping to get there before she really hurt herself.

“ _Julie-_ “ He breathed.

The blonde’s head whipped towards him, but she didn’t stop her attempt to stand. Tony’s eyes widened when he finally got a proper look at her face. Her brows were drawn together tight in concentration, her face covered in perspiration. Her eyes were wild and desperate, so full of hurt and anger and Tony faltered. She looked _devastated_ and he didn’t know how to fix it.

Her bright blue eyes were brimming with tears and Tony shook his head, not sure what to do. But then she was collapsing back down onto the mat beneath her and Tony jerked towards her, barely catching her in time as her arms gave out.

She sobbed, her broken gasping breaths echoing in the gym around them as he pulled her in close. Her thin arms wrapped around him and she held on for dear life, Tony’s own arms slipping around her as he pulled her practically into his lap. “ _Oh, Julie,_ ” He breathed, pressing his lips to her sweat dampened hair.

She cried, sobbing and whimpering against his neck and Tony held on, a hand soothing along her spine as he tried to comfort her. Her cries went on for what felt like forever and Tony did what he could to comfort her. She shook with the force of her sobs for the first while, but eventually they subsided with Tony’s gentle rocking and murmured words of comfort.

When her sniffles became few and far between, the hands that had been clutching at his shirt relaxing and her breathing calmed and much more even, he let himself pull back slowly. She let him and he let himself relax in the half embrace just slightly. She looked up at him then and he forced his expression into one of careful concern, not wanting to upset her further.

“I’m sorry-“ She whispered brokenly, her voice hoarse from her crying.

Tony’s brows pinched together in worry and he quickly shook his head, cupping her cheek gently with one hand as he supported her back with the other. “No, _Julie_. You don’t need to apologize, not _ever_ ,” He explained.

She shook her head, struggling for words, but Tony beat her to it. “Why were you trying to do this on your own, huh?” He probed gently, shaking his head. “You need to be more careful, you could have really hurt yourself,” He insisted, looking over her slight frame.

And she was still slight, lithe as he’d once called her; _willowy_. She’d changed since the accident, that was a given. Being bed-ridden for so long had taken its toll on her body and no doubt her mind as well, but her body was changed too. She was still willowy, but the muscle she once had from her years of dancing was long gone in the rest of her. She was more rounded in her figure, but only a little. He hadn’t noticed just how much muscle definition she had lost until today, however, now that she was clad in a pair of leggings.

He hadn’t seen her wear tight fitting clothes since before the accident, always preferring to be in loose fitting sweats and sweatshirts, but here she was in a fitted t-shirt and black leggings that hugged her long lean legs like a second skin and he could, he could _see_ the lack of muscle in them. They were thin, her calf muscles virtually non existent, her thighs just a lean. He understood why she hadn’t been able to lift herself and stand on her own, of course he did.

It didn’t mean that he didn’t _believe_ in her ability to do it, however. Perhaps not right this moment, but in time he knew that she would have her strength back. _In time._ But clearly she wasn’t such a fan of taking her time. He shook his head slightly, watching as she started to draw back from him a bit more and he knew he was about to get an earful, lancing words on the tip of her tongue, he was sure, but he wasn’t about to take it. He decided on a different approach.

“I’m disappointed in you, you know,” He said carefully.

Julie’s jaw snapped shut with an audible click and her eyes widened in shock. “Wh-what?” She managed to get out after a beat.

“You heard me,” He said calmly.

Julie’s throat closed up and there was a choking sound from deep in her chest and he knew she was fighting with what to say. He sort of hoped she’d shout at him, but he figured he wouldn’t give her the chance. He arched a brow at her, _daring_ her to say something to him, but when all she did was grind her teeth together, lips pressed in a very grim line, he sighed and it was all long-suffering and _disappointed_ and then he was shifting and pushing her from him, letting her sit back on her haunches.

She swore under her breath, barely managing to catch herself on her hands as she glared daggers at him from her half-sprawled position on the mat. She looked so hurt and Tony shook his head at her, _tutting_ at her as he rose to his feet swiftly, leaving her on the floor.

“If you wanted to stand so badly on your own, then do it,” He challenged.

Julie’s breath left her in a rush as she stared up at the man as if he’d grown a second head and when she made no attempt to move or do anything, he sighed deeply. “Get on with it then.”

Julie looked down at her legs as they lay folded to her left, her hands braced on the mat on her right to keep her from falling to the floor completely. She shook her head in disbelief and then looked back up at him. “I don’t-“

“Get. Up.” Tony demanded, standing and practically _looming_ over her.

Julie stared up at him, completely at a loss. Tony rolled his eyes. “I said-“ He breathed. “Get. _Up._ ”

Tears sprang to Julie’s eyes, but she was just as quickly forcing them back as she shifted onto her hands and then her knees in front of him. She refused to look at him as she attempted to support herself, but she could feel her thighs and arms shaking with the effort as she attempted to support her entire weight on one hand and reach up with the other.

She faltered, hand sweaty and it slipped from the bar above her. She let out a whimper and wiped her damp hand against her thigh in an attempt to dry it. Tony huffed, but didn’t say anything more as he stood over her and watched her struggle. She shut her eyes tightly and then she was reaching up with a sure hand and grabbing onto the bar as tight as she could.

Tony watched then as she attempted to pull herself up and she struggled, he saw, fighting tooth and nail to lift herself up, to push up with her leg, but she could barely move either knee to get her started. Her hand slipped and Tony took a step towards her out of reflex, not wanting her to fall, but her eyes cut towards him and Tony stilled.

“You can do better than that, can’t you?” Tony said instead, practically _forcing_ the awful words out.

Julie’s whimper almost broke his resolve, but he kept on, shaking his head and staring her down. She spluttered a curse and then she lunged forward as much as she was able, her bracing hand flailing out and reaching for the bar desperately. She grabbed it.

Tony stilled, watching as she cried out in agony, her legs shaking, her arms taught with tension. “Come on then,” He coaxed.

Julie shook her head, tears escaping her as she struggled to pull herself up, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t-

“I _can’t!_ ” She suddenly shouted, her breath practically _punched_ from her lungs.

Tony nodded, his resolve breaking. “Not on your own, _no,_ ” He murmured, stepping in close and scooping her up.

She sobbed, the sound driving Tony mad with the need to comfort the young woman. He supported her entire weight, his arms slipping beneath hers and holding her, _lifting_ her up so that she was _standing_. Almost.

Her feet were bent awkwardly against the mat, her bare toes curled under her and she was shaking, _shaking_ _so damn_ ** _badly_**. “You can’t do this on your own, Julie. We keep trying to tell you this,” He murmured, pressing his mouth to her sweaty temple.

She whimpered brokenly, turning her head away from him, her arms weakened from the effort of attempting to hold herself up. “I _can’t_ -“ She moaned. “I can’t ask-I can’t _ask_ -“ She stressed to him.

Tony shook his head in frustration. “You want to stand, Julie. Then _stand_ -“ He insisted. “But let _us help_ ** _you_** ,” He urged, lifting her up just that much higher.

The soles of her feet touched the mat, now properly supported, feet resting lightly on the floor as Tony held her up and she inhaled sharply at the sensation of the now sweat-sticky mat beneath her toes. Her head jerked back a bit and Tony met her wild gaze with a steady one of his own.

“You can ask for help, Julie. You can do this, I know you can, but you need to let us help you,” He insisted.

She whimpered high in her throat and then she was shaking her head and then just as soon nodding frantically. Tony breathed out harshly as he felt one of her hands leave the bar to grab at his shoulder. He let her and then carefully urged her to let the bar go with her other hand. She scrabbled weakly at his unoccupied shoulder, but soon her grip turned sure and firm.

It didn’t hurt per-say, but he could feel her nails digging into his suit jacket where she clutched at him and he wished he had had the presence of mind to have removed it earlier. “Come on-“ He urged, shifting his arms and carefully grasping her little waist, holding her that way.

She was pressed flush against him and she really didn’t weigh much. Tony knew he was strong, not _that_ strong, but it was as if Julie weighed almost nothing to him and he tried not to dwell on it, really he did, but he knew it would come back to torment him later. But right now, right _now_ Julie was being supported by his sure hands on her waist and her desperate grasp on his shoulders.

Her feet were planted firmly against the mat and Tony glanced down and attempted to make space between them so that he could see them properly. She let him, but barely. “Hold on to me, just like that,” He murmured, watching as she nodded, blinking past her tears. “I’ve got you, my kitten, I’ve got you-“ He whispered, the words slipping out without much thought; he simply wished to comfort.

But Julie heard them, her breath stalling in her chest as she stared up at Tony with wide eyes. It didn’t register then, what he had said and he didn’t think about it until much later, but at that moment, Julie’s brow set in determination as she stared up at him and gave it everything she had.

He watched as the muscle in her left thigh jumped and her foot shuffled forward against the mat. Her breath whooshed out of her as she managed a single step, Tony taking one back. He was still supporting her, but not completely. She was the one who moved her foot, spread her toes against the mat and then did it _again_ with her right.

She cried out in relief, stumbling forwards as her left knee gave out, but Tony had her, Tony would always have her. He murmured soft words of praise to her, not looking in her eyes, too focused on the way her legs were tensing, the muscles jumping as she tried to take another step and then another.

He shook his head, so incredibly _proud_ of her and then he was looking into her eyes and _smiling_ at her, tears of his own springing to his deep brown orbs. She whimpered and clutched at him, one of her hands slipping up to grasp the side of his neck and he-he couldn’t stop himself. He leaned in and kissed her-

Only his lips met with the open palm of her hand and then he stumbled backwards and promptly fell on his ass, their harsh exhales sounding loud in the otherwise quiet gym as his back connected with the mat. Julie landed on top of him, now lying between his spread legs, knees propped up on either side of her hips. They both had stopped breathing when they realized what had happened and as Julie carefully removed her hand from covering Tony’s mouth, the genius blinking at her in surprise…and then they burst out laughing.

Tony was wheezing by the end of it, trying to get his breath back and Julie, Julie was crying she was laughing so hard. But at least they were both smiling. Tony was shaking his head as Julie raised her head from his chest, having virtually collapsed on top of him and reached up to brush some of her stray tears away. She was smiling dopily at him and he was sure he was smiling just as wide, just as silly but he couldn’t bring himself to really care.

“ _Tony-_ “ She finally managed to breathe and she was smiling so big.

He shook his head, reaching up and brushing some of the strands of hair that had escaped from her pony-tail. “God _,_ _I love you_ -“ He breathed.

Her breathing hitched, cheeks flushed and eyes puffy and red and he watched as she bit down on herbottom lip and before he could help himself blurted, “I want to kiss you.”

Julie’s cheeks went bright red at his confession but her eyes remained wide and so bright, the blue so startlingly deep. “ _I-_ “ She breathed and it came out as barely above a whisper, the rest of what she wanted to say choked down.

Tony inwardly berated himself and quickly rushed to explain himself, to _apologize_ for pressuring her, but he didn’t get the chance because she silenced him with a kiss.

The tentative press of her slightly chapped lips against his had him inhaling sharply against her, the warmth of her lips, the heat of her hands as they pressed against his chest and the absolute _scorching_ heat of the rest of her body as it pressed against his entire front had him tensing up beneath her at the realization that they were touching _everywhere_ and she was **_kissing him!_**

As quickly and unexpected as the kiss had begun, it was over. She pulled back from his lips, blushing furiously and breathing hard and Tony realized he hadn’t even kissed her _back!_ He exhaled sharply and watched as she seemed to struggle for air, for something to _say._ He could see panic and anxiety sweeping over her features and he wanted to reassure her, he had been the one to try and kiss her first after all, so he smiled at her shakily and ran his fingers through her hair, her pony-tail slipping free.

“ _Hey-_ “ He murmured, searching her face as he tried to think of what to say to her.

“I’m sorry-“ She breathed shakily. “ _I just-_ “

“ _Shh-_ “ He soothed, shaking his head gently. “Don’t be, sweetheart. I just- _I_ was so happy, I’m _so proud_ of you,” He murmured, cupping her cheeks, thumbs stroking against her heated skin.

She hiccuped as she struggled with what to say and instead shook her head, at a loss for words. “It’s okay,” He soothed, leaning up a little awkwardly and pressed his forehead against hers. “No rush.”

She nodded shakily against him, inhaling deeply after a few hitched breaths and he smiled, caressing her cheeks. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. I was hoping you’d like to come down to the common area for dinner and a movie tonight,” He suggested gently.

She nodded, attempting to sit up a bit and soon he was sitting up and helping her back into her wheelchair. She was so thankful for his patience, his endless patience. It was astounding to her at times and she shook her head in thought as he wheeled her towards the elevators. Once they were safely inside, the elevator beginning its ascent, she reached out to grasp his forearm gently.

He stilled, looking down at her in question and then down at where her hand was slipping lower towards his wrist. “Thank you, Tony,” She said sincerely, instantly drawing his gaze.

He shook his head, more out of reflex than anything else and she smiled at him, but all he could focus on was the honesty reflected in her bright blue eyes and the reassuring caress of her thumb against the underside of his wrist.

He inhaled deeply as he gazed down at her. “There is nothing I would not do for you, Julie and there is nothing I would ever expect you to say thank you for.”

Julie’s lashes fluttered closed at the statement and she couldn’t help the watery smile. “Let me say it anyway,” She whispered.

Tony hummed softly and shifted his hand so that he was the one holding her wrist. He swept his thumb against the underside of her own wrist and tried to push down the flare of heat at the sound of her breath hitching in the silence of the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so, how is this going? xD Are people still mad at me or am I making it better? Haha. <3


	32. Thirty-Two

Tony would later torment himself with the memory of how she looked in the reflection of the elevator doors, her cheeks flushed, hair a mess and skin still covered in a light sheen of sweat. Her shirt was wrinkled and clinging to her no doubt uncomfortably and Tony still thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The most _sexy_ woman in the world.

 _Christ_ , but he had it _baad_.

She’d been looking anywhere but at him while he’d caressed the underside of her wrist and he tried to quell the sudden need to raise her hand to his lips and taste her skin or better yet, lean down and press her back against her chair while he kissed her into a needy mess.

He inwardly groaned, gently releasing his grasp on her as she let out an all too controlled breath and he’d barely managed to shift his gaze in time before she trained her intensely focused blue eyes on him and he could practically _feel_ the way they swept over him.

He’d left her in her apartment to shower and get ready shortly thereafter and when he’d managed to convince her to come down for dinner and a movie later, the entire Team was thrilled to see her wheel herself out of the elevator and join them in the kitchen. It was a bit of a production as per usual at Team dinners and tonight was no exception as they all settled around the table.

It wasn’t until after dinner that they were faced with a bit of a problem, ie. the sunken living room. Julie had eyed the three steps into the living room from the edge of the kitchen with dread and then Steve was suddenly right by her side, squatting down next to her.

“Would you like some help?” He asked her quietly, voice low enough for only her to hear.

The others were all busy washing up after dinner, getting snacks and drinks and the like and thankfully weren’t paying the two any mind as Julie struggled with her thoughts on the matter. Did she want help? She grimaced slightly, looking from Steve back to the steps and then she was nodding slowly as she put the wheel locks on.

She met Steve’s eyes and took a slow breath as she nodded, thinking back to what Tony had told her. She could ask, she knew she could and no one would ever think any less of her for doing so. “Yes, please,” She whispered.

Steve gave her a warm smile, nodding more to himself than anything as he stood back up and moved in front of her. She reached out to him then and he bent to lift her from the chair. He was careful with her, always so careful. He lifted her up into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him hold her in a bridal carry down the few steps and into the living room.

“Where would you like to sit, m’lady,” He asked her, charming as ever.

She chuckled softly, her cheeks flushing as she shrugged, glancing between the lazy-boy and the other two couches. “How about the middle seat on the big couch? It’d be nice to cozy up,” She confessed.

Steve hummed and nodded before carrying her towards the larger sofa and carefully setting her down. She made herself comfortable, pulling a pillow over to set behind her back and then she was suddenly bouncing in her seat, letting out a startled squeak as Tony flopped down beside her and not a moment later, Steve was sitting down-albeit far more gently-on her other side.

Tony grinned at her as she bounced and then pinned him with an annoyed scowl, but it was really lacking in the heat department seeing as it was way too fond. Her lips twitched up, the beginnings of a smile and the genius chuckled softly as he made himself more comfortable. She was quickly distracted, however, when Bucky was suddenly standing in front of her holding a blanket and…a cushion.

“Would you like a blanket?” He asked, holding it out for her.

She smiled at him warmly as she nodded. “I would,” She confessed, reaching out to take the dark blue throw from the man’s hands as he stretched it out in offering.

He nodded, helping her drape it over her lap. He was pleased to see her in something other than her sweatpants, instead wearing a pair of black leggings and a fresh plain white t-shirt. She wasn’t wearing her typical Uggs, but she did have a pair of fluffy grey socks on that were pulled up to mid calf. Her hair was down, still damp from her shower and settled in loose waves well past her shoulders. He cast a quick glance down to the floor by her feet and then tentatively held up the cushion he’d brought over.

“Would it be alright if I sat-“ He motioned to her feet, the space between her and Steve more accurately.

Julie blinked up at him and then nodded. “O-of course,” She murmured, the sudden noise in the room picking up as Clint and Peter started arguing over who’s turn it was to pick the movie.

Bucky smiled at her gently and nodded himself, slowly sinking down to the floor in front of her. He set the cushion down to the left of her and Steve smiled at his lover as the brunet leaned his back against the couch, Steve’s hand brushing his metal shoulder briefly before disappearing.

They started up a movie shortly after, Peter picking out a scary movie for them to watch called _Ghost Ship._ Julie wasn’t one for scary movies, though she could admit they were fun, especially when the group went out of their way to talk through the whole damn thing, criticizing the characters and just about everything else. It made them feel better, she reasoned, pretending not to be scared and the like. The thought had her smiling to herself. These were the _Avengers_ , what on Earth did they have to be scared of in a scary movie?

Once the lights had dimmed and everyone was comfortable, Julie found herself relaxing back into the couch. Tony was a warm presence at her right and Steve at her left. She felt comfortable, relaxed but then she realized something was off. Her legs were aching.

She shifted slightly beneath the blanket, stretching her toes and attempting to flex the muscles in her legs. She shut her eyes when a wave of pain washed over her. The pain was reminiscent of growing pains. Something she hadn’t had to deal with in _years_. Sure she’d had muscle aches and pains, it was sort of a given when you were an active person and well, a dancer.

But this was different and _very_ painful. Not to the level she’d felt when she was in hospital, but the deep ache was starting to make her feel rather uncomfortable. She shifted slightly, her hands moving beneath the blanket to rub at first her right thigh and then her left. Her brows were pinched in discomfort and she could feel the muscles in her calves jumping with muscles spasms. It hurt, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself, so she bore it silently for the duration of the film.

It wasn’t until half-way through the film that she couldn’t take it anymore, it wasn’t even that the pain had gotten the better of her, no. It was when Bucky shifted at her feet, his flesh and blood hand lightly resting against the top of her foot that she realized she’d been shifting restlessly against the floor. He stilled it for her and her gaze shot towards him as he turned his head just so to look at her.

He met her gaze and she inhaled shakily, her breath stalling completely when his careful fingers wrapped around the sole of her foot and squeezed lightly. She unintentionally jerked in his light grasp and he reached over with his metal hand and gently caressed her shin. She let out a wounded noise deep in her chest but they were both relieved when the movie appeared loud enough to drown it out almost completely. _Almost._

Steve heard it and glanced carefully out the corner of his eye towards her and then shifted his gaze to Bucky at her feet. Tony was asleep beside her Steve noted, leaning heavily on his arm against the armrest, so that was a relief. Because Bucky was looking at her with concern and now he was sliding his metal palm up and around the back of her calf and squeezing gently.

Julie practically doubled over in front of them, grasping Bucky’s shoulder and gripping him hard. Herwhispered, “ _Stop,_ ” Had barely reached his ears before he was letting go, an apology on his lips.

She was shaking her head and hastily reaching up and wiping her suddenly damp cheeks. “I-it hurts so much-“ She whispered brokenly and Bucky twisted to look at her properly.

Steve’s brows were drawn in concern as Bucky tried to soothe her. He knew some of the others had no doubt noticed, but were keeping quiet about it, not wanting to upset her further. “I’m so sorry, Julie. I didn’t mean-“ Bucky started to apologize quietly.

She shook her head, patting his shoulder gently in reassurance as she looked down at him. “My legs have been aching since the movie started, i-it got really bad, very quickly. You didn’t hurt me or anything, they-they just _hurt-_ “ She explained quietly.

Bucky nodded, still murmuring apologies. Steve shifted beside her and she quickly looked towards him, frowning when she found him watching her with such concern. “I’m _fine-_ “ She tried to reassure, but neither were buying it and soon enough Bucky had managed to coerce her into retiring for the night.

He took her up to her apartment, settled her in bed with a cup of hot tea and a couple of _Aleve_ and demanded that she spill. “My legs-“ She started. “The muscles have been spasming, mostly at night the last few days,” She explained. “They hurt, really badly…” She admitted.

Bucky frowned at her. “Have you told Linda? It’s probably as a result of your therapy.”

She shook her head, shrugging a bit. “She told me I might have some pain, using muscles I haven’t in a while and all, but this-this is-“

Bucky frowned, nodding as he watched her take her medication. “If this continues and the _Aleve_ doesn’t help, please let us know so we can get you in to see someone who can prescribe something a bit stronger.”

Julie shook her head gently. “I don’t want to take the harder stuff. It makes me feel too loopy,” She said quietly.

Bucky nodded, gaze slipping over her frame. “Do you think a massage would maybe help? We could get you a masseuse.”

Julie huffed, looking away from him nervously. “I don’t think I’d be comfortable with a stranger touching me like that. I already get a bit uncomfortable with Linda, but she’s been pretty understanding.”

Bucky hummed again, conceding the point before he got an idea. “You’ve always been comfortable with us giving your feet a rub…” He winced slightly as he trailed off. “You know…before.”

He could kick himself at that and instead let out a very long sigh. “I’m sor-“

But Julie interrupted him with a gentle hand on his flesh and blood arm. “Bucky,” She murmured and looked as if she were about to console him a little, but no, that wasn’t what she needed.

He patted her hand gently. “Would you be okay with maybe me giving you a massage or maybe Steve or even Tony?”

Julie grimaced slightly, looking away. “Not Tony…and Steve is, Steve’s great but-“ She sighed, shaking her head. “I feel like he’d be giving me the hurt puppy eyes all the time if I let him.”

Bucky murmured a soft agreement. He loved Steve more than life itself but the blond was awful at keeping his emotions in check when he worried over his friends and he just knew that he would give her the hurt puppy eyes as soon as he saw how uncomfortable she was. And Tony…well, he could figure why she didn’t want him to do it.

“Okay, then I’m offering, hun. But you’ve got to promise me one thing,” He insisted, drawing her curious gaze.

“Of course,” She agreed easily.

Bucky fixed her with a very serious gaze and with the straightest face he could manage, “You’re not allowed to make sex noises while I do it, because let me tell you, the _noises_ Steve makes when I give him a rub down are practically pornographic-“ He muttered and Julie burst out laughing, despite her pain and discomfort.

She clapped her hands over her ears and yelled. “ _Bucky!_ I don’t need to hear that-“ She laughed, shaking her head and Bucky grinned at her in response.

“Seriously though, he sounds like I’m either railing him or murdering him half the time-“

Julie howled, shaking her head in absolute mortification as she begged him to stop talking. “And it’s a major turn on so you’ve got to be quiet or _you know_ -“ He teased, gesturing at himself.

Julie spluttered, cheeks aflame and eyes disbelieving. “You are so ridiculous James Buchanan Barnes.”

Bucky grinned at her, fondness creeping into his features. “Yeah, I’ve come to terms with that.”

Julie smiled at him, shaking her head as she lowered her hands from her ears. “Alright, I promise then,” She agreed quietly.

Bucky nodded, happy that she was accepting help from him. “Great, so, get comfy and I can start. You might be better on your front for now and don’t worry if you fall asleep, I can let myself out,” He explained.

She hummed, nodding as she turned over, Bucky helping her sort out the blankets while he got comfy himself. He wasn’t going to ask her to let him touch her skin yet, figuring she still wouldn’t be ready, but maybe in time she would be.

Not ten-minutes later and Bucky was having to tap out when she started making sex noises, only to have her cackle gleefully as she called him back from the living room where he’d escaped to insisting she’d just been fooling with him.

Bucky had to will the light blush from his cheeks as he sat back down and ignore her soft sighs which were definitely not quite as pornographic as what she had been pretending to be like when he’d first started. “Had to get you back for talking about your sex-life,” She’d teased and Bucky smirked.

“Uh huh,” He muttered with a shake of his head.

They spent the next forty-minutes together, Bucky alternating between her calves and then higher up to her thighs, but the majority of the pain was in her calves she’d said so he focused there. She fell asleep not long after he’d started again and he quietly let himself out when he’d felt he’d managed to relax the muscles enough with the added help of the pain meds she’d taken. She would probably be out for most of the night, but he promised himself he’d check in with her to make sure she was alright.

He worried that she wouldn’t ask for help again, not wanting to _bother_ them with such a thing, but he needed her to realize that she really wasn’t a bother, as she’d put it. He wanted to help her in any way that he could, as did the others and he hoped she would finally give in.

.

The days passed much faster after that and although they weren’t always easier by any means, the harder days were few and far between. They were all secretly grateful. Julie was progressing well to all of their immense relief and it wasn’t just physically, they felt she was doing much better mentally as well.

She pushed herself each and every day with Linda, working on strengthening her legs, her arms, her entire body, really. She still spent more time than she liked doing water therapy, but she had to admit that it did help. But once Linda had started working in earnest with her in the gym doing all kinds of physical therapy with her, she latched on, pushing herself to her limits and then some.

She was sore for the first while, incredibly so, but Linda assured her it would get better in time and until then, she had Bucky helping her with daily massages and low dosage pain medications when necessary. She’d gotten more comfortable with letting Bucky sit at her feet on movie nights and didn’t spook when he offered to rub her legs while they sat.

She even opened up so far as to let Steve do the same…and Peter…and just about anyone else. Head scratches were still a thing and they knew things were a little different now, so they were of course always respectful of Julie’s limits. She kept her socks on and her legs were always covered and if she wasn’t feeling up to it, she wouldn’t sit in her usual spot, she’d sit in the lazy-boy where no one would bother her. She would be forever grateful of their endless patience.

Weeks turned to months soon enough and by the time August rolled around and was well under way, Julie was doing so much better than any could have imagined. Tony found himself thinking back to one evening in particular while he poured himself a cup of coffee, back to the group getting set up for movie night.

A couple of months ago, Julie had come down in the elevator in her wheelchair, the white blanket Tony had given her for Christmas settled in her lap. She was wearing black leggings, a pair of silver sequinned UGG’s and one of her Avenger’s t-shirts; this one blue and displaying Spider-Man’s symbol in the middle. Her hair had been down in loose waves as was her norm now. They never got to see it up in a bun anymore and no one ever commented. Her hair had grown much longer and she hadn’t thought to cut it, nor keep up with the ash-blonde highlights she used to sport, either.

She’d wheeled herself out of the elevator and instead of making her way towards the sunken living room where Steve or Bucky or even Thor on occasion would help lift her down to whichever spot she desired, she parked the wheelchair out of the way next to the elevator, careful to put the brakes on and then she was just… _getting up._

She held the thick blanket in one hand, mindful to keep it from dragging on the floor as she folded it over her arm. She was standing on the hard wood all by herself and well, _everyone_ was staring at her as she slowly, _carefully_ , started fucking _walking-_ all by her fucking _self-_ towards the steps to the sunken living room. All chatter had stopped, it was quiet save for their collective breaths, the sound of the television playing the intro screen for _Tremors_ ** _5_** on loop while they all just _stared._

Julie was too busy concentrating to have noticed their collective gazes though and instead continued to take her cautious steps towards them. They weren’t faltering, she didn’t stumble, rather they were _sure_ and _deliberate_. But she was _doing it~!_

Tony and the others had been so shocked, so _proud_ as they’d watched her make it to the three steps and then she’d turned slightly to her side and sort of side-walked/stepped down the three stairs, one foot at a time. Her brows had been furrowed in concentration as she’d done so, blanket now clutched tightly to her chest as she’d watched her footing and made sure she had a stable stance before moving the other foot.

When she made it past the last step and now stood in the sunken living room, she’d taken a deeper breath, her face a little pink and flushed with exertion and then looked _up._ She’d _stopped breathing_ for a moment as she realized everyone was looking at her with shock and wide-eyed adoration _all_ over their faces. She’d blushed something awful and glanced away, but there was a smile on her face as she clearly struggled to hide her _joy_ at seeing her friends react like that to her success.

No one had said anything as she made her way to her usual seat in the middle of the large couch. Her legs had been shaking something awful by the time she’d reached it and she didn’t so much as sit as she sort of _dropped_ into her seat, a bit of a whooshing breath escaping her. Tony had been grinning like an idiot as he sat down beside her and when Bucky sat down on her other side and squeezed her thigh gently in his excitement, she let herself smile a little wider as she unfolded her blanket and cuddled up to Tony a little closer than as of late.

He really didn’t mind.

And when a few hours later, they’d all gotten up to head to bed for the night, Steve had had to carry a sleeping Julie up to her bed while Tony brought her blanket and Bucky wheeled her wheelchair up too. All three men were smiling quietly to themselves as they stepped into the elevator together after putting her to bed and when they’d separated at their respective floor, Steve and Bucky hugged Tony, whispering a quiet good night to one another.

Things had only gotten better after that, though there were still bad days, they happened far less often. Julie had taken a couple of bad falls now and again and they worried, but she was a very strong woman and they knew better than to fuss over her. The night she’d walked on her own from the elevator, wheelchair parked beside it had been a turning point for her. She started doing that more often. Parking the wheelchair by the elevator and walking towards the kitchen or living room. There were times where she was just a bit too tired to attempt it, but she made sure to do it more often than not to help with her mobility.

She was getting somewhere and that was the most important thing and nearly a month after, they were pleased to see that Julie no longer brought the wheelchair down at all and instead simply _walked_ out of the elevator with a smile other face and her steps were _solid,_ no hint of hesitation in them whatsoever.

That had been just under a month ago. So, that night while Tony was busy pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen, the Team getting settled in for a movie in the living room, having already gathered their own snacks and drinks, Tony turned to find Julie standing behind him, smiling warmly at him, her gaze flickering down to the cup of coffee in his grasp.

“Is there enough for me?” She asked softly and Tony smiled, picking up the second mug he’d thought to fill for Julie.

“Of course there is, darling,” He whispered, pressing the mug into her hands.

There was a flush that spread to her cheeks as she raised the mug to her lips and took a sip and Tony knew it wasn’t from the coffee. They made their way back into the living room to take up their seats and get comfortable, Tony helping to settle her blanket across their laps and Peter’s too, seeing as the young man had curled up at Julie’s left. They both wouldn’t be surprised if Peter somehow turned himself half upside down and put his head in her lap demanding a head-scratch before the opening credits even _started._

But that wasn’t to be the case tonight.

“Who’s turn is it to pick tonight, anyway?” Wanda sighed, stretching out in the blanket pile her and Steve had taken up residence in.

“That’d be me-“ Clint admitted and there was a chorus of groans. “Hey now-“ He scolded. “Have I ever led you astray?”

Pretty well _everyone_ started to say their piece on that particular topic. “I was thinking some Bacon? What do you think? Anyone up for a Bacon-fest?” Clint asked.

A couple of them huffed and the rest of them chuckled. “What’s a Bacon-fest?” Thor asked. “Are we going to cook bacon? I _do_ like bacon.”

“He means the _actor_ ,” Peter chuckled and before Julie could explain how much she _adored_ Kevin Bacon and side with Clint, the archer was opening his mouth and promptly shoving his foot in it mere second later.

“I thought we could watch _Footloose,_ ” Clint explained, gaze on the TV as he fiddled with the controller looking for the right movie.

The room went oddly quiet then and Natasha murmured, “I don’t know it that’s an appropriate choice for tonight, Clint.”

Clint blinked in confusion, suddenly turning to look at his lover and immediately clammed up with the expression on her face. He blinked and then glanced around at the others only to find them wearing similarly worried looks and then he saw Julie… _Julie_ , who was _not_ looking at him, but instead looking at the floor.

“I’m an idiot-“ Clint barely whispered under his breath and then louder, “We can watch something else with Kevin Bacon, li-like _Tremors_ , I know how much we all love those movies-“

Julie’s gaze flickered towards him then and she gave him a gentle smile, hoping she looked reassuring when she spoke. “I’d like to watch _Footloose_ , Clint. It’s a great movie and it _is_ Kevin Bacon after all.”

“We don’t need to watch it, Julie,” He quickly reassured. “In fact, I don’t want to watch it anymore, let’s-“

“We can watch it, Clint,” She said, much more firmly. “I do love that movie and it’s been ages since I’ve seen it. Put it on,” She said gently, but there was a determined tone there as well as a demand.

Clint swallowed, looking around at the others for help. “Julie-“ Tony murmured, settling a careful hand on her thigh, but when it jumped in agitation, he withdrew it.

“ _Tony-_ “ She retorted briskly and Tony’s jaw shut with an audible click.

Clint swallowed hard, not sure what to do or say, no one seemed to know what to do. So Julie took it upon herself to make a movie. “Jarvis? Would you please put on _Footloose_ ,” She asked.

Jarvis didn’t reply, but the screen flashed black and then the beginning of the movie was playing. Julie inhaled slowly as the music in the film started up. Usually, the music in the movies they watched didn’t bother her because there was always something else going on, she didn’t have to focus on the sound, but she knew this was going to be different.

But she wanted to prove to herself that she could get past it, that she could get through this and enjoy it and be _okay_. Even if it wasn’t for them, she needed to prove it to herself. And really, she thought she could do it. She’d seen a few movies lately with people dancing or singing along together and it hadn’t bothered her much if at all, but now? Now she was focusing too much, thinking too much and she knew it was going to come back and bite her in the ass, but for now, she had to get through it.

The film started and she tried to ignore the tenseness in the room, the way no one seemed to move for a bit and then during certain scenes they were shifting uncomfortably. She could feel eyes on her every so often and she knew they were worried about her, knew that they were concerned how this was affecting her. She knew Clint hadn’t meant anything by the suggestion. He liked Kevin Bacon, _hell_ , _Julie_ liked Kevin Bacon, Clint had just said what he wanted to watch and hadn’t gotten farther than that.

She wasn’t mad at him or even remotely angry for the suggestion. She did love this movie and she hadn’t been lying when she’d said it’d been a long time since she’d last seen it. She thought this was a good opportunity to put her mind to the test, but she hadn’t anticipated how it would _feel_.

At one point, not even half way through the film, Peter had noticed Julie’s heart-rate had kicked up a fair bit and he gently leaned in to her side to offer support. She took it without realizing, unaware that he could hear it or practically feel it where his bicep pressed into her arm and slightly against her ribs. But when the comfort didn’t help and she started displaying more outward signs of being uncomfortable, her leg jumping uneasily every so often where it unintentionally brushed against Bucky’s right arm as he sat on the floor to her left.

He didn’t move away and she seemed to be unaware that she’d done it more than once and afraid to say anything, he’d gently placed the palm of his hand atop her socked foot. She gasped, startling at the contact and Bucky apologized, removing his hand and looking to her worriedly. “S-sorry,” She quickly apologized, but Bucky’s brows were pinched as he shook his head.

He tried to tell her she didn’t have to apologize, but he didn’t get far when she was suddenly standing up, blanket swept aside to fall into Peter’s lap. “ _Sorry-_ “ She gasped and a few turned to look at her in concern. “I-“ She breathed, but her face was flushed and she looked overwhelmed and panicky.

“ _Hey-_ “ Tony murmured, reaching out for her, the backs of his fingers brushing the top of her thigh.

She flinched so hard away from his touch that he didn’t have time to mask the hurt as it flashed across his face. But it was _nothing_ in comparison to the absolutely _wounded_ and _vulnerable_ look that flitted across hers, but then she was turning away from him and apologizing profusely.

“I’m fine, I’m sorry, Tony, I’m sorry-“ She said quickly, looking around at the others and hoping they understood.

Tony tried to stand then, to reassure her, but she stepped back from him, nearly stumbling in her haste as she turned away. “I-I’m going to head up-I-I need to sleep, _sorry_ -“ She apologized, shaking her head and Tony could see tears glistening on her cheeks as she continued to take several shaky and unstable steps away from him.

“ _Julie-_ “ He tried again, but she shook her head, holding a hand out towards him.

“Stay here, Tony. I’m _fine_ ,” She tried. “I just, I thought-“ She shook her head. “I just need to rest, I’m sorry.”

Tony was so concerned for her, but she wasn’t having it. “Stay _here_ ,” She practically _pleaded_ with him and Tony, frowning, nodded, but didn’t sit back down.

She nodded at him, blinking past the tears as she turned and practically _fled_ from the room. Her steps were shaky and silted and there was a couple of moments when Tony thought she was going to fall in her haste to get away. She made it to the elevator and Jarvis kindly opened the doors for her. She’d barely gotten inside before they closed behind her; she loved Jarvis so much.

Tony stood there speechless for a moment, not sure what to do. His gut reaction was to go after her, but the moment he took a step, Jarvis spoke up. “Sir, it is best to give her space for the time being. I will alert you if there is anything to worry over.”

Tony swallowed thickly and then sat back down heavily. Clint had shut off the TV and was looking guilty and sad. “I’m sorry, Tony,” Clint whispered.

Tony nodded slightly, he wasn’t angry at Clint no more than Julie was. It had just been a lapse and it happened, he just-he wished Julie hadn’t bolted like that. It’d been so painful to watch her stumble away from him. The flinch had been bad enough, but to see her falter? He frowned at the thought, looking down at his hands now folded in his lap.

“I’m going to call it a night,” He murmured after a beat, getting to his feet.

No one bothered to disagree and simply murmured their good nights as he slipped off towards the workshop. He hid in his workshop for nearly two hours, not really working on anything, either. He sat at Julie’s desk, her workstation pretty well abandoned. She hadn’t been down here since the day of the accident when she’d given Bucky his arm.

According to Jarvis, she hadn’t even logged in to her tablet or email or anything S.I. related since then. He wondered if she ever would. He frowned at the thought, looking over the little items she had on her desk. There was a small _Moleskine_ notebook by one of her monitors and he carefully picked it up. He felt bad about snooping, but he wanted a connection, wanted any sort of connection he could get right now.

So, he opened the book and leafed through.

There were sketches inside. Lots and lots of sketches.

There were sketches of the Cradle, prosthetic arms, hands, legs, hips. There were sketches of Bucky’s arm, old and new. There were sketches of Steve’s shield, Spider-Man’s emblem, Thor's hammer. There were sketches of Natasha and Clint, of Nat’s bites and Clint’s bow. There was a sketch of Bruce sitting and drinking tea, of Steve smiling and laughing, of Bucky sleeping on the couch, of Wanda curled up with Jane and Darcy. There were sketches of Thor eating a pop-tart, of Sam and Steve sitting next to one another laughing.

There were sketches of ballerinas, young women he didn’t know, but some he recognized from her videos. Sketches of Diana, ballet slippers and…

Tony stilled his hand, now open on a page with a sketch of his Arc-Reactor. He turned the page…and found himself staring at an image of the suit. He blinked down at the image and then turned the page and was surprised to find himself staring back at him. He’d stopped breathing at the image he saw there and then turned the page. The next one was of him too, a profile of him as he worked on Dummy. The next one was of him drinking a cup of coffee…the next was of him sitting at his desk typing away at his computer…the next was of him smiling as he sat chatting on the phone to someone…the next was of him half in the suit, his lower half encased in metal…his upper half naked, a wound in his side, the Arc-Reactor on display.

He swallowed hard and closed the book, setting it back right where he’d found it. He looked around at the bots, the machines, the glowing lights of the place and then towards the suit. He inhaled slowly and stood up, deciding he wasn’t going to get any work done tonight and instead went to try for sleep. He’d just stepped into the elevator, the doors closing, when Jarvis spoke up.

“Sir-“

“Yeah, J?” He murmured.

“Perhaps you might consider stopping by Miss O’Donnel’s apartment?” Jarvis suggested.

Tony blinked, looking towards the nearest camera. He nodded and soon he was stepping out onto Julie’s floor. It was quiet as he made his way down the hallway to Julie’s apartment. He came to a stop just outside of her door and quietly pressed his hand against the data-reader. It blinked red once and then glowed blue as he murmured his override code.

When he stepped through that door, he had no idea what he was walking into, no idea what to expect and yep, not prepared for in the slightest. He stilled as the door shut behind him. The living room was dimly lit, was the first thing he noticed, only a table lamp on and the light of the TV. The TV that was playing a video.

He swallowed hard, watching as a younger Julie on the television screen went on about her passions. He recognized it as her recruitment video the company requested of all its intern applicants. She looked so much younger in the video and there was so much _light_ to her smile, her eyes. She was chuckling lightly as she nervously rambled on about how much she loved technology, how much she wanted to use it to find a way to _help people_.

Tony had seen this video a long time ago, but that was before he really knew her. Watching it now, it was different. He recognized that passion in the months he’d known her in all kinds of things. He recognized that smile too and his heart ached, wishing he could see her smile like that again. He was brought out of his reverie when the video ended and something else queued up.

He blinked, taking another step into the living room. This video was one he didn’t recognize.

It was Julie again on screen, she looked much younger, barely a teenager, maybe. She was smiling so big, her blonde hair up in a perfect bun and she was in a pink leotard and a white tutu, sitting cross legged on the floor of what appeared to be a studio room. In other words, she looked absolutely _adorable._

 _“So, why do you want to be a ballerina, Bailey?”_ A woman’s voice off-screen asked.

 _“Well, technically I already am,”_ Young Julie had replied.

There was a man’s chuckle and Julie’s smile widened. _“Alright, then tell us why you want to be a_ ** _professional_** _ballerina.”_

The Julie on screen smiled even bigger at that. _“I love to dance and I want to dance,”_ She confessed. _“I want to live my life through dancing.”_

 _“Can you tell us what that means for you, Bailey? You’re very young and we’ve never taken on someone quite as young as you at the Royal,”_ The man off-screen confessed.

 _“What it means?_ ” She asked with a smile, she closed her eyes and shook her head. _“It means that if I could never stop dancing, I wouldn’t. If I could wake up every morning with the sun and dance until the moon came out at night, I would. If I could breathe music and live forever in motion, I would. I_ ** _try,_** _but it’s not exactly realistic now, is it?”_

The man and woman off screen chuckled and Julie smiled warmly at them. _“I am meant to dance and I’ll never stop, not ever,”_ She confessed. _“I’d like for people to see that, to know that when you’re passionate about something, you can succeed. You can do anything you put your mind to and this-“_ She explained, gesturing around them and then to herself. _“This is what I put my mind, body and soul to, this is what I want to do with my life.”_

“I was a fool then-“ Julie’s hoarse voice caught him off guard and he startled.

Tony had walked up towards the back of the couch and hadn’t even noticed Julie until now. The young woman was sitting on the floor, back against the couch, long legs splayed out in front of her with a blanket over her lap as she watched the TV. Tony slowly rounded the side of the couch and his heart broke at the sight of her.

Her eyes were bloodshot and weary, the skin beneath them red and raw and glistening in the low light. There was a bottle of opened rum beside her and Tony’s worry only increased. He asked Jarvis quietly to turn off the television, the A.I. complying silently as he knelt down beside her. She wasn’t looking at him, staring ahead at the dark TV.

“You’ve never been a fool, Julie. Young and full of dreams, but never a fool, never foolish,” Tony whispered.

Julie did look up into his worried face then. “I was twelve when they accepted me into the company. I thought I could change the world by dancing, inspire someone else to dance, to find their passion,” She confessed.

“Do you think you’ve failed?” He asked her.

Julie blinked at him slowly and he could smell the rum on her breath, see the glossiness of her deep blue eyes. “Yes.”

Tony shook his head. “You don’t know how wrong you are,” He murmured, reaching out to brush some of her hair out of her eyes. “I can’t speak for the no doubt thousands of people who you’ve influenced, Julie, but I can sure as hell speak for how much you’ve influenced me.”

Julie blinked up at him and he smiled softly at her. “You are a passionate woman, Julie. I’ve never met someone quite like you. You inspired me to be a better person, to put what I love to do towards something so much bigger than myself and I _enjoy it_.”

Julie’s gaze faltered a little and Tony placed his warm, calloused hand against her cheek, swiping his thumb through her tears. She was staring at an invisible spot on his shirt as she confessed something to him then. “I wish you could have seen me dance, Tony. I wish-“ She frowned and Tony placed his fingers beneath her chin to tip it up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I could have danced with you,” She whispered.

Tony shook his head, tears in his own eyes then, threatening to spill. “I’ve watched you dance before, Julie,” He murmured. “I’ve danced with you too, at the concert.”

But she shook her head a little, more tears escaping her. “I’ve never danced _for you,_ Tony and that dance…we weren’t-it wasn’t-“ She closed her eyes, frustrated. “It wasn’t just _us_ ,” She whispered.

Tony swallowed hard, ghosting his hand back to caress her hair. “Oh, Julie,” He murmured soothingly as she started to cry harder.

She reached out with both hands and grasped the front of his shirt only to wrap her arms around his neck. Tony let out a shaky breath and let her pull him closer, wrapping his own arms around her lithe frame and drawing her closer too. She sobbed against his shoulder, turning her face in towards his neck and Tony let his eyes drift shut as he felt the warmth of her breath against his skin.

Tony murmured soft reassurances into her hair, rubbing his hand soothingly down her back. She calmed after a few minutes and pulled back, letting her hold on Tony relax enough so that he could sit back a bit. “Let’s get you to bed, Julie, okay?” He murmured, wiping away her tears.

She nodded, looking down at the bottle of rum next to her and Tony picked it up and set it on the coffee table. She sniffled and went to stand, but she couldn’t get up on her own so Tony took it upon himself to scoop her up in a bridal carry. She gasped in surprise, arms flying out to wrap around his neck and shoulders and Tony tried not to chuckle at the look on her face.

She huffed when she saw the amusement in his eyes and swatted him playfully on the chest. He hid his smile in her hair as he carried her into her room, Jarvis turning on the appropriate lights as they made their way inside. Tony had kept the blanket draped over her, not sure what she might have on underneath and from the feel of her bare skin against his arms as he carried her, he assumed she was wearing shorts.

She had a grey tank-top on that looked a little worse for wear and he really didn’t want her to be embarrassed by her state of dress. He also wasn’t quite sure she wanted him to see her legs just yet, so he was mindful to hang on to the blanket too and keep her covered. When he set her down on the bed, her hands reluctantly left his shoulders and she grasped the blanket over her lap. She was staring down at her lap with tears still shining in her bright blue eyes and Tony frowned, kneeling down at her bedside.

“Hey-“ He whispered, ducking his head down so that she’d have to look at him.

She timidly met his gaze and he smiled at her warmly. “When you’re ready to dance with me, Julie, I will be ready to dance with you and when you want to dance for me, I will be happy to let you.”

Julie broke down then, shaking her head as she looked at him. “You don’t understand,” She whimpered. “I _can’t._ ”

Tony smiled at her kindly and shook his head. “You are so wrong about that, my kitten, and I cannot _wait_ until I get to prove it to you.”

But she simply shook her head, a hiccup escaping her and Tony caressed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She didn’t want to accept it this time though and instead shook her head, pulling the blanket from her lap and shoving it to the floor.

Tony blinked at her in surprise. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, legs overhanging and feet on the rug and her legs were completely bare save for a pair of very tight black athletic shorts. He was still kneeling in front of her and he sat back on his heels in shock as she motioned to her legs and Tony-he didn’t know what to do. He tried not to look, she was a bit drunk and he didn’t want to take advantage of her mental state, but he couldn’t stop himself.

He looked.

He swallowed hard and let his gaze trail over her legs, the paleness of her milky white skin. Her legs weren’t strong in the same way they once were, but they still held a strength to them that he would forever admire; her resilience shone through in every scar she wore.

He inhaled deeply as he let himself look, noticing the scars along the outside of her left thigh, the scars along her left calf and ankle. The skin looked thin and very pale, stretched thin and to Tony, it looked very similar to his own scarring, to Bucky’s too. Because it wasn’t all surgical.

Before he realized what he was doing, his fingers were reaching out and tracing along the marks on her right leg too. She let out a whimper at the careful brush of his fingertips against the sensitive skin and Tony looked up at her in worry. Her eyes were bright and wide, full of unshed tears and she was staring at him in absolute terror.

“You think these scars are going to stop you from dancing?” He asked her earnestly.

She didn’t reply and simply continued to stare at him. He shook his head, lifting her foot slightly and noting the scars along the tops of her feet and he could _feel_ the scars along the back of her calf as he ran his fingers up the back of her leg. He wasn’t intentionally tickling her, but his touch must have been light enough for her to feel like he was and she shivered slightly at his light caress.

He smiled warmly up at her as he set her foot back on the floor and then placed both of his palms on the outsides of her thighs, gently squeezing her. Her breathing hitched and Tony tried not to think about the way her skin felt beneath his hands, the way her body then felt beneath his as he got up and leaned down over her, helping her lie back on the bed.

She was staring up at him in obvious surprise and he was careful not to put his weight on her as he placed his hands on either side of her head, bracing himself above her. “These scars, Julie? They should never stop you from doing anything, do you hear me?” He asked, tone firm.

She blinked up at him, her lips parting, “But-“

He gave her a stern look at that and she immediately bit off whatever else she was about to say. “They make you just that much more beautiful in my eyes,” He murmured. “Because I see the fight you went through to get here, to _stand_ here with the rest of us and if you think they’re holding you back then they _will_ , Julie. But I hope you are listening to me when I tell you that they don’t _have to_.”

Julie swallowed hard, still on her back and staring up at him with wide-eyed wonder. “You can do anything you set your mind to Julie, because your heart and soul are in it too,” He told her, shifting to brace all of his weight on his right hand as he reached up to caress her hair with his left.

She breathed in shakily at that and Tony smiled at her before pulling away and standing up, watching as Julie sat up a bit, leaning back on her elbows as she observed him. “Thank you,” She whispered quietly.

Tony shook his head, helping to swing her legs up onto the bed. He pulled back the sheets for her and helped tuck her in and all the while she stared at him, watched as he fluffed her pillow and covered her properly with her duvet. Just as he pulled away, intent on going to get her a glass of water and an _Advil_ for the morning, Julie’s hand on his wrist stilled him.

“Thank you, Tony,” She whispered again and Tony could see the seriousness reflected in her eyes.

He shook his head, leaning down to place a kiss against her forehead. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed and she was smiling timidly as she settled back against her pillows. He asked Jarvis to turn out the lights and slipped out of the room to get her water and medicine.


	33. Thirty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've posted. November was an awful month for me and I found out that my Mum had uterine cancer. She had been scheduled for an emergency hysterectomy on very short notice and our lives were turned upside-down for a while. She's recovering well though and we got the all-clear over Christmas. She is now cancer free and I cannot tell you how incredibly grateful I am for that. We've been very busy looking after her, but she is recovering well and is expected to return to work in a little over a week or so. 
> 
> Over the holidays I was extremely busy with work as I switched to overnight shifts at my job for three weeks, but now that the holidays are over and we are back to our regularly scheduled programming or something close enough, I'm back on my normal schedule and will hopefully have time to write! I know this chapter is very small, but I just wanted to give you guys a small update because I sincerely appreciate all of my fans and really don't like to leave you hanging. <3 I will be updating as fast as I can write, I promise, even if they're small chapters for a while, I definitely want to draw you all back in to my story. I've missed these two and I can't wait to give you all what you've been waiting for. <3
> 
> On a side note, I got engaged over the holidays so yay! Haha, I'm super excited and it'll still be some time before we start planning or anything, let alone getting married, but yeah...I had news and wanted to share it with all you lovely people. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying my story and I look forward to reading your comments. <3 Bye for now.

Tony shifted nervously from his spot in the kitchen the following Friday night. Natasha was chatting with Julie over a tub of ice-cream, both sitting at the counter with spoons in their hands and doing their very best to finish off the carton, apparently. Tony couldn’t help himself, he knew he had a big stupid grin on his face, watching the casual way Julie was half leaning on the counter while she dipped her spoon into the ice cream. It was Mint Chip from _Baskin Robins_ , Tony noted.

Tony was still standing there five minutes later, probably looking like a total creeper as he watched Julie licking her spoon clean for probably the tenth time in as many minutes. His gaze flickered to Natasha when he heard a soft huff of a chuckle, only to catch the red-head’s gaze flick from him back to Julie as she murmured something too soft for him to hear.

But he figured out pretty quickly it had something to do with him when Julie’s gaze flickered towards him briefly as she ducked her head, a light blush colouring her fair cheeks. He cleared his throat slightly when Julie shifted, standing up a bit straighter and turning her gaze properly towards him. She brandished the spoon she’d been using in his direction. “Oh good, you’ve come to save me from myself, I hope?” She chuckled.

Tony laughed lightly, walking the few feet towards them as he eyed up the half-eaten carton of ice-cream. “Nah, looks good though. I think you’ve got this covered.”

Julie laughed lightly, shaking her head as she set her spoon down on the counter next to the ice-cream. “I’m just going to-“ She motioned towards the living room where Bucky, Steve and Clint were getting settled with a movie and Tony nodded, watching her go.

When he finally dragged his gaze away from her retreating figure, gaze lingering far longer than he was conscious of, he turned to face a very knowing Natasha. He cleared his throat slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She smiled kindly at him then, gaze softening as she motioned towards the carton of ice-cream.

Tony huffed, smiling to himself before picking up Julie’s abandoned spoon and taking a spoonful of the delicious treat. He hummed, loving the taste before Natasha chuckled lightly under her breath. “So-“ She murmured.

Tony blinked, watching as she took another spoonful of ice-cream. “So?” He asked curiously.

She smiled at him. “What’s on your mind?”

Tony swallowed the spoonful he’d just shoved in his mouth and made sure to take an extra moment to lick his lips in an attempt to maybe sorta buy himself some time? “What makes you think there’s something on my mind?”

Natasha smirked lightly at him. “I know you better than that, Tony. Come on, out with it.”

Tony shrugged, looking down into the carton of ice-cream. “Wanted to ask you for a bit of a favour,” He murmured quietly.

Natasha's brow rose, curiosity flitting across her features for an instant. Tony _never_ asked for favours. “Alright,” She said slowly.

Tony cleared his throat, glancing around to make sure the coast was still clear. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Natasha quirked a brow at him in question. “As of right now? Nothing of note,” She murmured.

Tony nodded, clearing his throat nervously once again as he glanced back up at her and then couldn’t seem to hold her gaze before looking hastily away. “How would you feel about spending the day with Julie and I don’t know-“ He shrugged, tapering off and then murmuring, “Maybe going to a spa?”

Natasha blinked and then she slowly schooled her features. “To a spa,” She repeated flatly.

Tony nodded a little too quickly. “Y-yeah, is that okay? Would you want to go? Take Julie with you?”

Natasha stared at him for what felt like an eternity without speaking and Tony was forced to finally look up at her. He was met with a look he hadn’t quite been prepared for on the ex-assassin’s face; amusement. “You realize that this won’t be a hardship exactly, right?” She asked.

Tony blinked, unsure of himself for a moment or his response. She rolled her eyes at his clueless expression. “I-it’s not?”

Natasha rolled her eyes _again_ and it was way too fond. Tony squirmed.

“No, Tony, it’s not a hardship, nor is it a favour. I’d happily take Julie to a spa for the day. Where were you thinking?” She asked gently.

Tony blinked, staring at her with his mouth slightly agape. “Right- _right-_ “ He muttered, as if just catching on. “I’ve actually already made arrangements. The whole day is on me,” He explained, pulling out his wallet from his back pocket and withdrawing his _Amex_ and sliding it across the counter towards her.

Natasha eyed it for a split second before secreting it away, where, Tony didn’t quite catch; not that it mattered. “Sure, Tony,” She murmured, watching him closely.

Tony nodded absentmindedly, shifting nervously where he stood as he cast a glance into the living room where Julie was settling in with the guys while they flipped through the enormous movie library at their fingertips. Natasha was still watching him closely, he could feel her eyes on him and wondered what she might be thinking just then, but didn’t want to dwell on it too much.


	34. Thirty-Four

“Question-“ Julie yawned then, covering her mouth as she followed the red-head through to the garage.

“No questions,” Natasha countered and Julie huffed a bit.

“No one’s dying, right? We’re not up at the crack of dawn because there’s an emergency, right?” Julie prodded, walking along a little faster to catch up with her friend.

Natasha made a soft noise, shaking her head. “All is well, you can sleep on the drive over, I promise.”

Julie eyed her friend warily and then blinked in absentminded surprise when she realized that not only was _she_ still in her sweatpants and t-shirt, but Natasha was clearly in her comfy clothes too and wearing leggings and a plain black t-shirt. This was far from the oddest thing that had happened to her, however, being dragged out of bed first thing in the morning by Nat and whisked off to some unknown location was hardly something she thought she should be worried over. Maybe... Possibly. She wasn’t really sure any more to be honest. Her normal was far too skewed for what most might call _normal._

She opened her mouth to speak again, to maybe ask, _drive over where?_ But decided better of it when she came to a stop in front of a car that Julie knew was definitely not Natasha’s. For one, it was a hot-rod-red Audi that she was pretty sure wasn’t exactly street legal and another, well, she didn’t exactly have the keys.

Not that she needed any.

“Jarvis, do me a favour and unlock this bad boy for me, would you?” Natasha purred and Julie raised a brow at her dubiously.

“Of course, Miss Romanoff. But are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to take one of Sir’s less flashy vehicles for this trip?” Jarvis asked, but Julie was sure she already knew the answer to that.

Natasha laughed under her breath, hearing the locks disengage as she reached to open the driver’s door. “Does Tony _have_ anything less flashy than this readily available?”

Julie blinked and then glanced around them, sweeping her gaze over the several sporty cars and giant SUV’s and the like. The answer was totally going to be a no and she smirked when Jarvis seemed to pause before his response. “You’ve made a wonderful selection,” He conceded a moment later and Julie couldn’t suppress her laugh as Natasha rolled her eyes and slipped into the driver’s seat, Julie slipping in too.

.

“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” Julie asked about forty-five minutes later.

She hadn’t been able to sleep properly, though she did doze a bit after they’d managed to get out of the city, but now with the openness of the scenery around them and the noise of the city behind them, she was worried she was going to start dozing off again.

Natasha smiled over at her from her seat, but didn’t say anything for a moment. Julie sighed, turning her attention back out the tinted window of the car. “Fine, don’t tell me. All I know is that there better be coffee wherever we’re going,” She grumbled.

Natasha outright laughed at that and Julie looked to her with a smile. “You’re just as bad as Tony when it comes to your coffee,” She teased.

Julie huffed, but neither confirmed nor denied the accusation which sort of spoke for itself. “We’re here,” She murmured, hands flexing on the leather wrapped steering wheel and Julie flicked her eyes out the front windshield only to blink in confusion as they turned down a stretch of driveway that looked more off the beaten path than anything.

Julie was about to open her mouth to say something snarky, but it died in her throat as they suddenly pulled up to what looked like a country home with expansive grounds, a forest at its back and flowers and greenery surrounding it.

“What-“ She started in confusion, only for Natasha to then murmur, “Ready to be pampered?”

Julie guffawed. “You brought me to a _spa?_ ”

Natasha’s lips quirked as she pulled up to the front doors, a young man coming down the steps to greet them. “I did,” She agreed, turning off the engine and slipping out of the car.

Julie sat there in surprise for a moment before she too got out of the fancy car. They were greeted by the young man warmly and escorted inside and Julie had never felt so out of her element before as they were led through the grand front doors and into a foyer.

They were checked in and then escorted to a changing room where they slipped into matching cream plush robes and slippers. Julie was beside herself as they were brought into what she would later describe as _Heaven_ and settled down onto massage tables. She glanced over at Natasha nervously from her spot stretched out on the table, towel safely draped over her while her robe lay over a bench with Natasha’s.

“We’re getting massages?” She asked worriedly, drawing Natasha’s gaze.

“We are, deep-tissue if you’re up for it, but just be honest about how the pressure is for you-“ Natasha started.

“But they’ll see-“ Julie blurted, her cheeks practically drained of colour.

Natasha shafted, looking to her friend calmly. “They’ll see your scars and that’s okay, Julie. They’re not going to judge you. These are trained professionals and they work on all the Avengers and you know, close friends and family.”

Julie swallowed hard, not entirely convinced and Natasha could tell. “Come now, you think they would judge me for _my_ scars?” Natasha queried.

Julie immediately shook her head. “Of course not, but yours were from _saving people_ and mine-“

Natasha huffed, shaking her head. “Did I ever tell you about the time James shot me?”

Julie stilled, eyes wide with disbelief. “Bucky _shot_ you?”

Natasha huffed, amused as she rolled her eyes. “Technically speaking, but it was more like _The Winter Soldier_ did.”

Julie’s eyes were wide. “There’s no hard feelings there, but I still have a scar. Doesn’t stop me from getting massages nor does it stop me from wearing a bikini,” She went on.

“Bet you look pretty bad-ass in a bikini with a _gun-shot scar-_ “ Julie blurted and Natasha laughed, shaking her head as she folded her arms beneath her cheek.

“Clint seems to think so,” She easily agreed.

Julie laughed weakly shaking her head, but Natasha could see her marginally relaxing now. “Come on, Julie. Let’s just relax, let the hot guys come in and massage us, get us all oiled up and then send us on our way-“

Julie barked out a surprise laugh, blotches of colour returning to her cheeks that made Natasha smirk. “Seriously? How do you even know they’re hot?”

Natasha grinned, eyes flickering over Julie’s shoulder and making the blonde look as well. There were two very nice looking blond’s hovering by one of the counters as they washed their hands and Julie’s blush only intensified when they turned. She quickly turned her gaze back to Natasha.

“Okay, fair enough. I...guess I could let one of them give me a massage,” She said, only a _touch_ reluctantly.

Natasha smiled at her. “Just relax and enjoy. We have the whole day here and lots planned, but let’s unwind a bit first.”

Julie smiled at her friend and nodded, settling back in to her bed as she let out a timid sigh and then thought about what Natasha had just said. “ _Wait_ -“ She blurted. “An _entire day?_ ”

Natasha huffed, amused once again. “Just enjoy it, you deserve to be pampered once in a while, alright?”

Julie didn’t know what to say to that and in the next moment Daniel and Raphael were introducing themselves and in the next? Julie was melting in complete and utter bliss at Daniel’s fingertips.

.

They spent most of the morning getting massages, relaxing in the sauna and then getting facials and by noon they were seated in front of the garden in a green-room where they enjoyed a light lunch with desserts and tea; coffee, in Julie’s case. After lunch, they were treated to pedicures and manicures and while their toes were drying, they got their hair done too.

Julie was still in awe by the whole ordeal. She’d never felt so pampered before and it was a different sort of care than she was used to. She’d been looked after all those months in recovery, but this was different and somehow, it felt selfish.

She’d grown rather quiet as her hair set. The hair dresser she’d been paired with had suggested a few things to lighten the colour and get rid of some of the more brassy golden tones after Julie had expressed missing her more ash-blonde hair. Natasha hadn’t failed to notice as she too sat while they coloured her hair.

“What’s wrong?” She asked when their stylists disappeared for a while to let them rest.

Julie shrugged a little, looking down at her hands, her skin now very soft and nails painted a pale mauve, nails much longer than she usually kept them. She liked the way they looked. She shrugged, quickly looking away. “This all seems sort of...” She trailed off, blinking as she came to a realization.

She looked at Natasha flatly. “This was Tony’s idea wasn’t it?”

Natasha shrugged. “I’m not at liberty to-“

Julie laughed, which only made Natasha smile softly. “He wanted you to be pampered and I thought it was a great idea. What’s so wrong about that?”

“Nothing, I guess. I’m just-I’m not-this is sort of a lot-“ Julie faltered.

Natasha sighed, turning in her seat to better survey her friend. “It’s a little over the top, but that’s Tony for you. He just wants you to feel good about yourself.”

Julie nodded, looking down at her hands and then flexing her toes so she could admire the matching colour. She did like them and she usually _hated_ nail polish, but it had been such a pretty colour. She glanced over at Natasha who was still watching her. “I want to feel good about myself,” She agreed, shifting slightly and stretching out her legs a bit.

She was back in her fluffy robe, Natasha was too and she couldn’t help the warm feeling it gave her to be able to have her legs bared and just...not care. It was freeing.

“You should feel good about yourself and I know it’s not always easy, but it should be. You’re a wonderful person, Julie and you’re cute as a button, so really-“

Julie laughed, looking at her friend again. “Thanks, Nat. That’s sweet and I know it’s not always easy, but I’m trying. I just can’t help feeling a little selfish with all of this. I’m not the type to get my hair done often or get my nails painted. I actually really dislike nail polish, but like, look how pretty-“ She whined, showing off her hands and feet.

Natasha laughed, smiling warmly at her as she nodded. “You don’t have to feel selfish about this kind of thing. You’re taking care of yourself and in my eyes, it’s not a whole lot different than taking care of yourself by watching what you eat or exercising if it makes you feel good about yourself,” She explained. “And your nails are very pretty, Julie. I told you I liked the colour on you and I can’t wait to see what they do with your hair.”

Julie bit her lower lip gently and nodded. “Thanks, Natasha...I-you’re a great friend, thank you.”

Natasha’s smile softened and she reached out and settled her hand against Julie’s forearm. “No thanks necessary. You know you’re my friend too,” She murmured earnestly.

Julie smiled warmly and nodded. “I’ll never forget it.”

Natasha merely smiled and then their stylists were back and fussing over them. They spent another hour at the spa and then they were heading back to the Compound...with a slight detour.

.

“I can’t believe you made me buy this-“ Julie lamented, shuffling forward with a half dozen bags draped over her arms.

She and Natasha had stopped at a boutique on their way home, which Julie was trying hard to pretend she didn’t know was all part of the woman’s master plan. “Okay, but _technically_ you didn’t buy it, _Tony-_ “

“Oh my _God_ ,” Julie whined, stopping in her tracks as they walked towards the elevators. “That makes it so, _so_ much worse.”

Natasha smirked, shaking her head and then the doors were opening in front of them, Happy apparently waiting to greet them. “Hello, ladies,” He said cheerfully.

“Happy,” Julie said in surprise. “What are you doing here? I mean, it’s good to see you-“

The man laughed, shrugging a bit as he went to take some of the bags from first Julie’s arms and then Natasha’s. “I stopped by for a visit with Tony and I was just actually on my way out, but I see that your hands are full...” He trailed off, his gaze sweeping over her and then over Natasha.

“Wow-“ He said, and rather lamely at that.

Natasha huffed lightly and Happy blinked, smiling brightly at the women. “Julie, you-wow, you cut your hair and you-you look _great-_ “

Julie’s cheeks heated at the obvious complement, even if he couldn’t really string it all together coherently. “T-thank you,” Julie stammered, glancing over at Natasha.

“I love what you’ve done with your hair, Natasha, fiery as ever,” He went on a moment later, the elevator doors slipping shut behind them.

“Thank you, Happy,” Natasha murmured, still smiling.

He huffed, shaking his head. “Listen, I was just about to head out, but why don’t I take your bags up to your rooms. The Team’s all in the kitchen and just ordered Chinese and Thai, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on dinner.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that, we-“ Julie started to protest, but Natasha beat her.

“That would be very kind of you, Happy. But are you sure you don’t want to join us for dinner?” Natasha offered.

“Oh, I actually can’t, but it’s alright. I’m catching a plane for Miami in a few hours for a much needed vacation,” He confessed.

“Oh, wow. I hope you enjoy it,” Julie chimed in.

Happy smiled at her and attempted to wrestle the last couple of bags off her arms. She chuckled and let him and Natasha handed over the last couple to him. “Thank you, I’m sure I will. But yeah, I’ll run these up to your rooms and I’ll see you when I get back.”

The women smiled and nodded, murmuring their thanks as the elevator opened up on one of the main levels. The said their good byes as Happy continued on to the private suites and Julie and Natasha made their way over to the kitchen.

They slipped into another elevator and Natasha found herself leaning back against the metal wall as she regarded the young woman beside her. Julie was busy fussing over the hem of her romper, the fabric was a dark navy blue, soft as anything, with flowing long sleeves that were nearly sheer and cuffed around her wrists. It was a lower cut neckline, a prominent ‘v’ which Julie thought might be a little too revealing, so she opted for a black lacy bralette where the scalloping stood out between the exposed neckline. It was flowy overall, but was cinched in with a belt, a simple strip of blue fabric tied into a bow just to the right of her belly.

The hem she had been fussing over was by far the most intimidating aspect of the romper, however, as it came to just shy of the tops of her thighs. She knew the bottoms covered, well, her _bottom_ , but that didn’t change the fact that the rest of her was on display and what she meant by the rest of her, was her long, gorgeous legs and the soft cream coloured ballerina flats that covered her feet.

Natasha thought she looked lovely. Julie, however, thought she looked _naked._

“Are you sure this is alright?” Julie asked, for what had to be the thousandth time.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Listen, Missy,” She started and Julie’s eyes widened a fraction as she looked to her friend. “Stop doubting yourself, alright? You look incredible, that colour is perfect on you, the cut is perfect on you, the shoes, the hair, the no makeup, your nails-“

“Okay, _okay,_ ” Julie mumbled, blushing lightly. “Sorry, I’m honestly not trying to fish for compliments, I’m genuinely concerned-“

“I _know_ you are,” Natasha consoled, pushing off from the wall of the elevator and moving towards her friend. “But there is no reason for you to be. You look lovely and you look happy, if not a bit nervous, but you look _happy_ , Julie.”

Julie smiled at her then, looking up slightly into the woman’s eyes. “I am happy,” She agreed softly. “I’m-I’m getting there anyway, I’m just-“

“Nervous, and I get it,” Natasha agreed, watching as Julie visibly relaxed.

“Exactly,” She sighed, watching as Natasha stepped in closer.

The red-head smiled warmly at her and then reached out to draw her into a close hug. Julie went easily, a tad surprised at the gesture. She slipped her arms around Natasha’s middle a moment later and relaxed even more so. “You’re among friends, Julie. We all love and care for you and want nothing else than to see you happy, whatever that means for you, but we want you to stop hiding too, alright?” She murmured into the younger woman’s hair.

Julie nodded against her shoulder, breathing out shakily. “Y-yeah, I know-I know I need to open up a bit more and well-“ She chuckled softly, letting Natasha draw away before motioning to herself. “I’m feeling more than a little vulnerable in this, but I know I shouldn’t worry or be worried-“ She went on, watching in amusement as Natasha gave her a quick once over.

“Exactly-“ Natasha agreed, smiling as the elevator came to a stop at the communal floor. “And you really do look lovely, you know. I hope you understand that it’s okay to take care of yourself like this more than once in a while. I don’t want you to see it as selfish, Julie.”

Julie nodded, watching as the doors slid open as they came to their floor. “No, no, you’re right. I guess I just stopped really looking after myself when things-well, when things went-“

“I get it, Julie, really, I do,” Natasha consoled, walking out of the elevator, Julie following beside her.

“But I promise to start doing a better job of it, lord knows I could use some TLC once in a while,” She chuckled, smiling brightly when Natasha smiled at her and winked.

“Don’t we all?” She drawled and Julie laughed warmly and then looked up-

And there was the Team gathered at the edge of the kitchen and living room and...and Tony was staring straight at her with an unreadable look on his pretty face. Julie’s laugh faltered and then she _tripped_ , just a little and was promptly caught and steadied by her elbow by Bucky who was walking towards the kitchen, the coolness of his metal hand feeling like such a relief against her suddenly flushed skin.

Because she was flushed, blushing right down her neck, she was certain as she looked up at the brunet and smiled in embarrassment. “You-“ Bucky started, but his eyes were wide and he seemed out of breath, which she knew was absurd; he was a super soldier, after all.

“T-thanks,” She huffed, still feeling all kinds of embarrassed at having tripped over her own two feet the second she’d had eyes on Tony.

Bucky swallowed, gaze flickering from her face and then a bit lower. His grey-blue eyes quickly snapped back to her own and he breathed out steadily, murmuring, “You look gorgeous,” In the softest voice imaginable.

Julie’s smile turned a touch shy then and she barely resisted the urge to look at her feet. “Thank you,” She murmured, watching instead as Bucky shook his head gently, an easy smile gracing his lips.

“You’re just in time for dinner,” He explained, letting go of her elbow once he was certain she wasn’t going to trip over anything and gestured towards the kitchen.

“Mmm, great, we’re starving-“ Sheadmitted, casting a glance towards Natasha who was smiling at them both warmly.

“That we are,” Natasha agreed, striding towards the kitchen.

Julie managed to find her feet and followed after her, looking up when Clint whistled _loudly_. The archer was deliberately looking over Natasha from head to toe and grinning like an idiot, an incredibly adorable idiot, but an idiot nevertheless.

Julie couldn’t help smiling herself as the archer greeted his lover, slipping his arm about her waist and drawing her into a kiss. “Well, aren’t you a sight,” She heard him murmur.

Natasha rolled her eyes and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips before she turned and gestured towards Julie as she came to stand at the edge of the kitchen with Bucky. “Not as beautiful a sight as our Julie,” She demurred.

Julie’s cheeks flushed even more so at that and she glanced around their friends who were murmuring their agreement. Thor, Bruce and Wanda were smiling at her warmly, Thor nodding his head rather vigorously as well in obvious agreement and Julie smiled at them in response. Steve, who was standing by the kitchen table was soon joined by Bucky, the blond breathing out harshly, his gaze locked on Julie in such open adoration, “You look lovely, Julie. I love what you’ve done to your hair, it’s so different-“

Julie shifted slightly, still blushing as she smiled at him. “Thank you, I-“ She huffed, tucking a lock of her long slightly wavy ash-blonde hair behind her ear in a self-conscious gesture. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such blonde hair, but I thought a change was in order,” She confessed.

Steve made a soft noise of agreement as Bucky came up beside him and hooked his chin over his shoulder, slipping an arm around his lover’s waist to draw him gently against his side. Her gaze flickered to Peter then who was standing next to Tony at the kitchen counter-who was still openly staring at Julie with that same unreadable expression on his handsome face-with a chocolate chip cookie in his hand, for whatever reason.

The young brunet was staring at her in open-mouthed surprise and then Julie was staring at him in equally open-mouthed surprise as he suddenly thrust out the cookie towards her. “ _Cookie?_ ” He blurted unexpectedly.

Julie’s eyes crinkled adorably at the corners as she regarded him and tentatively reached out to accept the treat. “Thank you,” She said sweetly.

Peter positively _lit up_ at that, watching as she took a bite of the offered cookie and then blurted, “How are you so beautiful?”

Julie couldn’t help the startled chuckle, nor could the others apparently when Tony’s utterance of, “ _Smooth, kid_ ,” Reached their ears.

Peter shrugged, looking all doe-eyed as he watched Julie blush even harder, turning much more shy as she averted her gaze for a moment. “Thank you, Peter...you’re really adorable, but much too young,” She admitted with a sympathetic chuckle.

Peter sighed over-dramatically, even going so far as to bat his eyelashes at her and the others laughed lightly in response, Julie’s gaze falling to Tony as the older man stepped out from around the counter to stand before her. She swallowed hard at his suddenly close proximity and was forced to look up at him only a little. She blinked at him, watching as his gaze swept over her and she could swear that she felt the heat of his stare over every inch of her body. She inhaled shakily as quietly as humanly possible and watched as a slow smile spread over the genius’ lips.

“You’re just as beautiful now, Miss O’Donnell...” Tony began in a voice that Julie swore could bring her to her knees with a single word, “As you were when you woke up this morning,” He continued. “The only difference that I can see, is the confidence reflected in your eyes, my darling.”

His voice was low but clearly loud enough that every one could hear and Julie faltered with what to say, her eyes wide and lips parted in absolute shock over his words. The _honesty_ reflected in his voice and the absolute _adoration_ and _love_ she was sure he was positively _radiating._

The moment didn’t last long, however, despite the pair staring into one another’s eyes with so much longing and desire, because you know, Peter was still in the room...as were the others. “How the fuck are you so charming one minute and a complete and utter ass the next?” Peter blurted, prompting the rest of the group to burst out laughing and for Tony to grin wryly at Julie before turning and pinning Peter with the same smile.

The only one not laughing, was Julie who was still staring at Tony, even though he’d turned away from her slightly. She shook her head, casting a glance towards Peter, not _quite_ reluctant, but a near thing before walking over to him, partially finished cookie still in her grasp. She patted his arm before raising the cookie to his mouth and in turn he was forced to take a bite. She smirked at him lightly and watched as he finally took a mouthful of the treat.

“You’re sweet...when you want to be, honey. But you’re still jailbait and you have much to learn, young Padawan,” She teased, striding past him and doing her best not to falter in her steps as she realized they would and definitely could, see _all_ of her scars littering her legs.

She could hear Tony’s heavy exhale beside her and tried hard not to duck her head as her body so wished to do. “Did she just quote _Star Wars?_ ” Peter blurted around a mouthful of his cookie.

“Oh yes she did,” Tony murmured, a grin evident in his voice, one Julie wasn’t able to resist.

She glanced towards him as she went to the kitchen counter to help unpack some of the takeout dishes with Bruce and Wanda and was rewarded with that megawatt smile that had her wanting to bite her lip to keep from making an entirely inappropriate sound.

Peter huffed, shaking his head. “I think I might be in love with her-“

Julie chuckled, shaking her head as she helped Bruce unpack the dishes. “You’re still too young, Mr. Parker.”

Peter sighed deeply then as Julie and the others started to gather the dishes and bring them to the kitchen table, Bucky and Steve coming over to hover by the island with Peter and Tony to give the others some space to work. Bucky was still chuckling under his breath and it instantly drew Peter’s attention, the young brunet giving the solider an annoyed shake of the head. “At least I’m not old enough to be her _grandpa_ ,” Peter muttered in retaliation.

Steve laughed at that and Tony positively _cackled_ and Peter’s glower only intensified. “Or her _Dad,_ ” He sniped.

Tony blinked at that, his laughter having died off rather quickly. He looked wide-eyed and pink, a flush to his cheeks that hadn’t been there a moment ago. He appeared to be thinking about something very carefully and Peter squinted at him curiously, wondering what he’d said to prompt such a reaction...not having to wonder for very long, of course.

“D-do you think she’d call me _Daddy?_ ” Tony whispered, all hopeful and soft.

The three men just… _stop_ and are staring at Tony in utter shock and then Peter snapped himself out of it and jerked towards the kitchen table, hands up in a placating gesture. “ _I’m out_ -“ He blurted, quickly leaving, not wanting to deal with whatever that was.

Bucky and Steve attempted to stifle their amused grins and giggles and were failing miserably as they too started to leave the kitchen, er-more like escape Tony. Tony tried to follow them too, cheeks still flushed as he ducked his head slightly. “What?” He muttered defensively. “It was a genuine question. Is no one going to answer my question?”

Julie looked up at him as she turned around on the opposite side of the table and hummed in response. “What question?” She queried, all wide-eyed innocence in her gaze, she clearly not having heard him.

Tony startled and then blushed even brighter, clearing his throat. Because _no_ just... _no._ He laughed lightly and quickly attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere.It worked and they all settled in to enjoy dinner together. Soon enough, they brought out the wine, rum, juice and ended up mixing some interesting drinks together that had them all laughing, chatting and spread out over the living room and kitchen common areas.

Tony was pleasantly buzzed, he soon realized, not drunk, not in the slightest, he was in that happy place that meant he could just _relax_ and maybe just luxuriate in that feeling for forever, that would be nice. He hummed softly to himself, ever-lingering gaze following the line of Julie’s body as she leant against the kitchen island, deep in conversation with Natasha and Clint about something or other.

He let himself watch her for most of the evening, not really thinking too hard about it, wanting to just watch and _see_ her. She had been smiling through dinner and then dessert and then through drinks. There was a movie on in the living room, a comedy, Tony belatedly realized. The rest of the group chatting, drinking and laughing along as the film played on. No one was completely paying attention to it, but every time someone tuned in, it made them laugh or giggle and it just devolved from there.

Tony and Bucky had been hanging out by the bar, just chatting about everything and nothing, enjoying the sounds of the Team around them, their laughter, their playful banter, Steve and Bruce’s scolding once in a while. Tony knew he hadn’t exactly been careful in his open admiration of Julie this evening, he really couldn’t care less, however.

Not even when Peter sidled up to him and sighed over-dramatically. “Isn’t she _dreamy?_ ” The teen teased.

Tony smiled despite himself, chuckling under his breath when he tore his eyes away from her to see both Peter and Bucky sporting knowing grins. “She’s a dream all right,” He murmured, raising his half-empty glass of scotch to his lips to take a sip.

Bucky huffed, obviously amused and Peter’s smile softened. “How about instead of creepily watching her from afar, you go over and talk to her, _genius?_ ” Peter suggested.

Tony smiled, gaze flicking towards the blonde again when her light laughter reached his ears. He let his eyes wander over her again, noting the slight sway to her hips as she shifted to sit half-up on one of the stools, one of her long slender legs draped down beside her, her shoe barely skimming the floor while her other remain tucked up underneath her. It stretched her romper just that much more against her frame and he loved being able to see the curve of her hip, the slope of her back…the curve of her buttocks.

He swallowed hard, nodding before he’d mentally told himself he was going to. He grasped his drink a little tighter, gaze flickering towards the side of her face, her happy smile, the way her eyes were wide and disbelieving at whatever Clint had just told her. “Yeah-“ He murmured. “Think I will.”

Peter and Bucky’s raised eyebrows went entirely unnoticed by said genius as he made his way across the room. He knew Clint and Natasha could see him from a mile away, so he wasn’t _entirely_ surprised when they said something that was probably to the effect of, ‘ _oh would you look at the time?’_ And decided to bugger off to give them some space and not privacy, _not at all…_

Tony was super grateful.

Julie would like to say she was oblivious to Tony’s presence as he’d made his way over to her, but in reality, she’d felt his eyes on her for nearly the entirety of the night following her every move. Her skin felt heated wherever his eyes landed and she found herself flushing at the thought of what he might be thinking every time she felt his gaze settle on her. She hoped they were good thoughts. Realistically she _knew_ they were good thoughts, but hey, self-doubt was a thing.

She needn’t have worried.

As Clint and Natasha started to slip away, Natasha’s whisper of, “ _have fun,_ ” barely reaching her, she felt Tony at her side.

She blinked, cheeks flushing from more than just the alcohol as she turned to see Tony smiling at her, eyelids heavy and a soft smirk playing at the edge of his mouth. _Oh…_ his _mouth._ She inwardly groaned, back straightening ever so slightly as he too came to lean not nearly a foot to her right against the counter.

“Hello there,” She murmured, a smile creeping in.

Tony’s smirk never wavered. “Julie-“ He greeted simply.

Her smile turned shy and she struggled for something to say for all of a second before Tony saved her. “Enjoying yourself?” He asked gently.

Julie nodded, toying with the edge of her glass, once again full of red wine, thanks to a certain helpful Spider. “I am,” She said easily, Tony’s smirk turning softer.

“I’m glad to hear it,” He murmured, gaze slipping down to follow the movement of her arm as she shifted, the flowy nearly see-through material of the sleeve drawing his attention. “I like your romper,” He added as an afterthought.

Julie blinked, lips parting in surprise. “I’m surprised you know what it’s called,” She admitted with a laugh.

Tony’s lopsided grin was adorable. “What do you take me for? Some unsophisticated heathen?” He teased.

Julie laughed louder at that, shaking her head. “Yeah, _right_.”

Tony grinned at her. “It does look lovely on you though,” He murmured, much softer.

Julie blinked a couple of times before looking at him through her lashes, barely managing to stop herself from biting her lower lip. “Thank you, Tony,” She barely dared to whisper, gaze flickering over his frame. “I’d say you look good in that stupid t-shirt and jeans…but you already know you do,” She teased with a wink.

Tony grinned unrepentantly at her at that. “ _Oh_ , you know me _so well._ ”

Julie smirked coyly at him, distracting herself for a moment with a much needed sip of her wine. “I’d like to think I know at least a little bit about the great and powerful Mr. Stark,” She murmured lowly.

Tony swallowed, gaze never straying from her bright blue eyes. “I’m pretty sure you know far more about _Tony_ than the rest of the world knows about _Mr. Stark_ ,” He admitted quietly.

Julie’s eyes softened, her lips parted as if she were about to speak. She thought better of whatever she had been going to say and instead shook her head, leaning in a little closer, Tony not having been aware that _he_ had been leaning in closer too. “You might be right,” She agreed, just as quiet.

Tony couldn’t stop staring at her and he was aware it was probably a more intense gaze than was warranted for their current conversation, but he couldn’t exactly help himself. Julie was now biting her bottom lip, both not wanting to fill the sudden beat of silence between them with small talk and ruin a good thing. They’d much prefer to just stand there and stare at each other for all eternity, thank you very much.

But, they soon shifted in to more comfortable topics, like how she’d spent her day with Natasha and what prompted her to go for a more ash-blonde look. They moved on to what Tony had gotten up to that day down in the lab and Tony knew she was more curious about what he was getting up to down there than she was attempting to let on, but well, he could read her just as well as she could read him, apparently.

Her eyes became brighter, but her face carefully left neutral, aside from the occasional twitch of her lip whenever he mentioned U or Dum-E. He knew she hadn’t touched her tablet in more months than he would care to admit and he was pretty sure her iPad hadn’t even been _charged_ since before the accident. He knew she hadn’t been working on anything nor did she seem to show any desire to want to come back to work… _although,_ that didn’t mean that _Tony_ hadn’t been keeping busy on her behalf… _buuut_ now was not the time for that discussion.

Maybe later.

He hoped she would show more of an interest eventually, but really, he just wanted her to take time for herself, to take the necessary time to heal and yes, her body may be doing much better, but he was certain her mind was still struggling, her spirit too. All in time.

They spent what felt like no time at all chatting with one another quietly while nearly an hour had passed, the group around them still chatting and the like around them, but they felt muted to the pair who were solely focused on one another. They’d shifted closer together at the kitchen island and Tony hadn’t realized it the moment it happened, but when his wandering hand got the better of him and landed innocently on Julie’s hip, she sure took notice.

His palm was _warm_ , so, _so warm_ as it gently settled over the curve of her hip and though she hadn’t been talking in that moment, only listening to Tony, she was lucky she hadn’t let out a squeak of surprise. But Tony barely looked like he realized he’d even touched her, only seemed to lean in closer and hold her hip a little tighter before relaxing his grasp periodically.

Her cheeks flushed even darker as she felt his thumb press over the jut of her hip and a soft gasp escaped her. _Then_ Tony realized what he’d been doing and only paused for half a second before he _continued_ touching her like it wasn’t the single-most _wonderful_ thing _ever._

Tony was talking about Dum-E’s latest debacle, apparently having gotten into a can of some paint Tony had failed to put away and had taken it upon himself to attempt to re-paint one of the cars he’d brought up to re-paint, _himself._ It’d been hilarious and awful all at once, but Julie could barely focus as Tony’s hand continued its light caress over her hip and up her side.

He trailed off after a moment and Julie knew he had stopped speaking, but she hadn’t really agreed or disagreed or even laughed at anything he’d been saying. She was just staring at him, lips parted and soft breaths escaping her as she seemed to be at a loss for words. He shifted a touch closer and she was forced to sit up a bit more, turning to face him better. His voice was almost enough to startle her or it would have been if he hadn’t suddenly but very lightly trailed the backs of his knuckles against the exposed skin at the top of her thigh.

Because that was definitely enough of a gesture to startle her. She inhaled deeply, her leg jumping and Tony murmured a soft apology but didn’t _stop_. “You’re so beautiful, Julie. _Christ,_ but do I ever I love you,” He suddenly whispered and she knew he really meant it, because she felt that no one could look at her the way he did and _see_ all of her scars, her flaws, her love for tech and every weird nerdy thing about her and _still_ love her for it except him.

Her lips curved up into a nervous albeit sultry smile as she summoned whatever possible sexy-vibes she could manage. She was by no means good at this…at least she thought not. _Tony_ , however? Thought she was _really_ fucking good at it.

“You’re not so bad yourself… _Mr. Stark,_ ” She murmured.

And he _knew_ it was a tease. A damn good one at that and he bit off the soft groan that started to escape. He smirked at her and he knew it was lopsided and he was sure the alcohol was making them both feel a little more daring than perhaps they usually were, but he didn’t honestly care.

“Yeah, I knew you had a thing for the genius, playboy,” He snarked back and she laughed wonderfully, hiding her grin behind her nearly empty glass and _pressing_ her hip against him, his hand smoothly ghosting back up to caress her side.

Her breath hitched for a fraction of a second and then evened out, easy as that. “Not the playboy," She murmured. “Not entirely the genius either,” She confessed.

Tony blinked, curious now. “The billionaire? Or the philanthropist?” He queried.

Julie smiled, shaking her head gently. “Would you believe me if I said I had a thing for _Tony_ , the nerdy guy who loves his creations-robots included, despite their shortcomings and misadventures-the guy who loves his friends like family, the guy who does what he wants, when he wants and still manages to get shit done. The guy who likes rock music and dated band t’s, the guy who loves his tech and would absolutely _die_ if the Wi-Fi went down…the guy who would lay his life on the line to save others and the man that…” She swallowed hard before pushing out a breath. “That I’ve come to know and love as something far bigger and better than the world _understands_ let alone _deserves_.”

Tony stood there, completely and utterly speechless as he regarded her. He saw nothing but honesty in her eyes and he swallowed hard as he cleared his throat. “ _Oh_ -“ Was all he could seem to manage, less than eloquent today, apparently.

She blushed lightly then, biting on her lower lip as she straightened up, pressing herself into his space faster than Tony was ready for. He didn’t step back, but nor did he press forward. Instead, he let her step into his space, staying exactly where he was as she tipped her head up towards him ind inhaled slowly and he knew, just _knew_ she was pretty well _scenting_ him and it sent his blood boiling and racing through his veins. _Christ_ he was incredibly turned on and it happened so _fast._

“ _Oh?_ ” She breathed softly.

Tony swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. “What I meant t-to say-“ He started, watching as her eyelids drifted partially closed.

“Hmm?” She hummed teasingly.

Tony huffed and the little whoosh of air made some of her hair shift against her cheek. _Boy_ were they ever _close._ “What I meant to say-“ He stressed more firmly this time. “Was that…that’s-” He swallowed hard once again. “I’m… _glad_ you like that Tony,” He whispered. “The one you described,” He confessed in nothing more than a timid murmur.

Julie’s smile softened, her eyes rounding like that of a puppy’s and Tony was so, _so_ doomed. “I don’t _like_ , that Tony…” She started, paying close attention to the sudden catch in his breath. “I **_love_ , **that Tony.”

A very much involuntary sound-and it was incredibly embarrassing, just an FYI-slipped past his lips and Julie’s smile morphed into one of a very feral nature. “ _Yes-_ “ He suddenly blurted and Julie blinked, momentarily surprised by his sudden outburst.

“Yes?” She questioned gently.

“I believe you-“ He admitted and Julie practically _melted_ at the words.

“I’m glad you do,” She confessed, still in his space, still looking up at him, still just _breathing_ him in.

She knew she should walk away, leave it at that. Today had been so crazy for her, full of firsts that had her head reeling and emotions warring. She loved him, he loved her, she knew that. She knew that and yet she couldn’t press forward into wherever they were going yet, she just wasn’t ready. She hoped he wouldn’t fault her for that and deep down she knew he wouldn’t.

So she stepped quietly and very slowly and definitely all kinds of reluctantly out of his space, but didn’t go too far. “I should head to bed,” She sighed. “I wanted to have an early start to the morning, but I think it’s going to have to be more of a 9am kind of day,” She chuckled quietly.

Tony nodded, licking his suddenly dry lips as he watched her move away, his hand slipping carefully from its much coveted place against her hip. “Of course, Julie,” He whispered and he didn’t sound disappointed, she knew he wouldn’t; he sounded understanding, which she was beyond grateful for.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Tony,” She told him quietly. “Thank you for today… _all_ of today,” She whispered, toying with the cuff of her sleeve and heat shot to Tony’s groin.

Because she was wearing clothes that _he_ ** _bought_ **_for her._ He inwardly groaned, licking his lips. “You’re very welcome…my darling,” He whispered and was instantly rewarded with her cheeks darkening and a _lovely_ coy smile gracing her lips.

“Good night, Tony,” She barely managed to whisper as she started towards her room.

Tony saw her wave and blow kisses to the others and he knew he heard them exchanging words- _goodbye’s_ -but his head was up in the clouds and he wasn’t really sure how he managed it, but somehow he said his own goodnight’s while ignoring his friends’ knowing smirks as he slipped off to his room, all while thinking of Julie’s sultry, happy, _devious_ smile.

He wanted and _hoped_ he’d get to see more in the coming days of that smile, because he felt as if he could survive on that alone if it meant she directed it at _him._

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, that was a much longer chapter than I anticipated, xD. But I hope you liked it! <3
> 
> Also...tonight I achieved 100,001 Hits! I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOU GUYS! I never, EVER imagined that I could have that many people read my stories. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much and as a thank you for this wonderful -in my eyes- achievement, I'm going to post a snippet of a new story I'm going to slowly start to work on/upload and it's totally out of my comfort zone but I am just DYING to write about it. It has literally been PLAGUING my nightmares for months, okay? So yes, it needs to be written. <3
> 
> So yeah, please subscribe if you've been a fan of my OFC's paired up with Tony or Steve and Bucky or any combination of all three, because I have PLANS, I TELL YOU! xD 
> 
> Love you all! Thank you so much, I hope you enjoyed this chapter with Julie and Tony and the gang. This was fun to write and it's not over yet. ^_~ xoxo


	35. Thirty-Five

“Jarvis?” Tony asked tiredly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, hair a mess and sticking up at all angles.

“Yes, sir?” His AI replied breezily.

“We just passed the common floor, why did we pass the common floor? I wanted breakfast,” He sighed in frustration.

“I’m sorry, sir. I thought you might want to stop by the lab first,” Jarvis suggested.

Tony’s brows furrowed adorably as he looked towards the nearest camera in the elevator, Jarvis’ green light blinking back at him. “What aren’t you telling me, J?” He asked quietly.

Jarvis didn’t respond and instead, the elevator came to a stop at the lab, doors sliding open to a scene he wasn’t sure he was ready for. He expected to see the lab blanketed in darkness, but instead, all the lights were on…and Julie-Julie’s workstation was well-lit, but she wasn’t sitting at it. _Oh, no_. She was over on the opposite side of the lab at one of his workbenches, the breast plate of one of his old Iron Man suits laying atop it, wires and all kinds of tools scattered around. Nearly exactly as he’d left it, basically.

But there was Julie, kneeling on top of the table, completely off the floor while she leaned over the breast plate and seemed to be attempting to solder some new metal to the undercarriage. He blinked, stepping out of the elevator and walked through the opened doors of the lab as if on auto-pilot.

Julie didn’t hear him come in, the noise from the soldering iron a bit too loud to have allowed for his footsteps to be heard and he knew Jarvis hadn’t announced his presence since his arrival. So, he walked cautiously around to the far side of the table opposite her, not wanting to startle her. She had a welder’s mask on and most of what Tony would have made her wear in regards to protective equipment, but not quite the proper attire.

She had black leggings on, navy blue short UGG’s and a thin _Panic!_ t-shirt, her biceps openly exposed to any sparks she might cause. Though she did have thick gloves to protect her. As he carefully rounded the opposite side, he saw a slight twitch in her forearm, but otherwise, she kept at what she was doing. Crossing his arms, he took another step towards the table and he knew she must have noticed him then and sure enough, a moment later she shut the torch off, setting it carefully aside before flipping up her mask.

“ _Hey-_ “ She said, all breathless and flushed and Tony’s insides twisted at the sight of her; long blonde hair in loose waves down past her shoulders, her eyes wild and chest rising and falling quickly with her sure breaths.

“Hey, yourself,” He muttered, very much at a loss for words for a moment or three.

“ _Sorry-_ “ Julie breathed, pulling off her gloves and gesturing to the chest plate in front of her. “The other day, you mentioned having some difficulty figuring out how to reinforce the-“

Tony’s brows lifted. “You figured out how to make it work?” He interrupted in surprise.

Julie nodded, all manic eagerness as she started explaining how she’d fabricated the metal into something more malleable and yet still just as strong. “Got thinking about it last night and yeah, ran the specs by J and he said it would have a 98% chance of success and I mean, _he_ thought it was pretty sound, so I figured I was safe to proceed, but this is totally just a prototype, so if you don’t like-“

“It’s-this looks great, Julie. _Seriously_ , if J gave you the okay, I’m on board, just gotta go over the specs with him one more time to be sure, but yeah, this…this looks solid,” He agreed, sort of in awe and more than a little flabbergasted with the fact that _Julie was back in the lab._

He’d take a moment to freak out about that later, right now he just wanted to ficus on the fact that she was positively _beaming at him_ while she knelt over one of his old chest plate’s and started rambling off specs and the metal composition of the new piece she’d installed. She looked so happy, rambling on excitedly about it and Tony found he was soon sharing in it.

They must have stayed down in the lab for nearly two hours working on the improvements before the topic of Julie returning to work properly had come up. “ _Technically-_ “ Tony started and then promptly cringed before the next part. “You’ve not really left work?” He tried, following along behind her as they entered the communal kitchen.

They needed breakfast.

Julie glanced over her shoulder at him quizzically and he was momentarily distracted by the smear of grease high on her left cheekbone and higher above her left eyebrow. “What are you talking about?” She muttered, rounding the kitchen island and murmuring a good morning to Steve and Natasha while waving to Bucky and Clint who were sitting in the living room, coffees raised to their lips.

“You’ve not really _left_ work,” Tony repeated, stepping up to the coffee maker and pouring them both a mug.

Julie frowned, washing her hands at the sink. “I’m not following you.”

Tony cleared his throat slightly, handing over one of the mugs he’d sweetened for her, watching as she accepted it gratefully before leaning back against the counter to look at him properly. “You’ve just been on an extended _leave_ …of sorts? We’ve actually been using your portfolio-you did sign off on it when you started working with me-and you know, building on what you set out to do, making sure the Cradle is fully developed for not just a shoulder joint, but for knees and elbows and ankles and-“ He started to ramble.

Julie raised her free hand in a gesture for silence and Tony immediately stopped. “You’ve been… _using_ … _my_ _portfolio_ -“ She said slowly.

Tony nodded eagerly and then rushed to assure her. “ _Yes,_ but you’ve been credited for _everything_ , Julie. We would never take your ideas and not give you credit for them-“

“I know that-“ She said briskly, her tone short and Tony stalled for a second, unsure.

“W-we’ve put all your research and prototypes to work and we’ve honestly come up with some remarkable designs, I just didn’t want to burden you with so many _unnecessary-“_

“ _Unnecessary-_ “ Julie blurted, eyes wide, coffee mug now abandoned on the counter beside her.

Tony nodded gently. “Julie…you had so many other things to focus on. We did everything we could with your work knowing you would hopefully-one day very soon-come back and help us with the program.”

Julie shook her head in disbelief. “So-so _what?_ ” She asked. “They’ve developed a series of prosthetics based off my research and _-and-_ “ She blew out an angry breath. “And I’ve been getting _paid_ _for it?_ ”

Tony swallowed. “I detect a bit of anger there…Is that right? Are you angry or am I wrong?” He asked, glancing around at their friends who were all looking at the pair with very much curious expressions on their faces.

Julie’s cheeks were positively _burning_ as she looked the genius dead in the eye and muttered, “I am going to _murder you._ ”

Tony swallowed, nervous laughter escaping him not a beat later. “ _Julie-_ “ He said pleadingly, setting his own mug down to gesture towards her in what he hoped was a comforting motion. “Of course I was going to make sure you were taken care of. You’ve made some absolutely incredible- _groundbreaking_ -discoveries and this-just _wait_ until you meet the _Team_ , the _candidates_ -“

Julie blinked at him, all the fight and _most_ of the anger leaving her in quite the hurry. “ _Candidates?_ ”

Tony nodded, swallowing hard as he grabbed one of the tablets from the island. He tapped at the screen a few times and then pulled up a list of 8 names with a few details next to each and handed it to Julie. She took it tentatively, eyeing the screen nervously before glancing up at Tony, her blue eyes bright and so very round.

“We screened a few hundred, mostly War Veterans and the like and we have an _excellent_ group of people who are doing everything they can to give us the feedback we need so that we can really go _live_ with this-“ He shook his head. “You’ve changed their lives and you haven’t even _met_ them yet.”

Julie was quiet at this, the entire kitchen had fallen silent at the start of their argument and hadn’t deemed it safe to speak up yet. No one spoke for far too long and Tony was too nervous to say anything else, not sure what he could possibly say to her when she was giving him this…this… _look._

“I-“ Julie breathed and then blew out a slow breath. “I mean… _they_ have… _working_ …prosthesis’-“ She said slowly. “That are using…the Cradle?” She asked tentatively.

Tony nodded, visibly relaxing when he realized what the look in her eyes was. “ _Yeah-_ “ Tony breathed, a smile ghosting at the edges of his lips.

Julie nodded, once and then a bit sharper as she set the tablet down next to her on the counter, not bothering to lock it as she went to pick up her cup of coffee, then seemed to think better of it. He saw her hands shaking as she instead went to grab an apple for something to do with her hands, obviously having noticed the tremor as well.

“ _Julie-_ “ He said gently, stepping a bit closer towards her, desperately wanting to hug her.

She shot him a warning look, pointing at him with the hand curled around the apple. “ _Don’t-_ “ She breathed, a slight waver to her tone.

Tony’s smile only grew, his gaze softening when he saw the quiver to her lower lip, the brightness of her blue eyes. “Bu-“

Julie threw the apple at him, Tony barely ducking to the right in time to avoid it smacking him in the chest. “I’m still mad at you!” She shouted, distancing herself and rounding the opposite side of the kitchen.

She nearly ran right into Bucky who in turn had her startled and stopping in her tracks. He was smiling at her all fond and sweet and she clammed right up, having apparently been very ready to yell at him for getting in her way. “Aw, _doll_ , I told you, you were here for a reason once upon a time, didn’t I?” He murmured, watching as her lower lip only seemed to tremble harder.

Julie’s lashes fluttered and _now_ the tears were falling as he curled his metal arm around her middle, drawing her against him. She hiccoughed and pressed her face into his shoulder as she tried to stop the swell of emotions rising up within her. Bucky just held her carefully and caressed her lower back in an attempt to soothe her. When she pulled her head from his shoulder and glanced at the tablet still open on the counter, she flickered her gaze to Tony, but couldn’t seem to meet his gaze head on.

“All the money you’ve been paying me? Put it back into the program, give it to them and their families or their favourite charities or so-“

“ _Julie-_ “ Tony said, huffing a soft laugh, but she just shook her head, pulling out of Bucky’s grasp a touch reluctantly as she gestured to the tablet and the names displayed.

“I’m sure they could use it more than me,” She explained, watching as Tony’s smile softened.

“They’re well looked after, the money you’ve made is yours but if that’s what you want to do with it-“

She nodded firmly. “J, go ahead and drain my work accounts-“

“By _half-_ “ Tony tried to reason.

Julie seemed to grimace at this but then softly, “By 75%- _no_ , 80-“

Tony huffed, rolling his eyes, listening as she murmured. “Donate them to my list of preferred charities, the research Team, the candidates-“

“Of course, Miss,” Jarvis murmured. “I will email you the details of your donations for you to sign off on.”

Julie nodded, glancing down at her hands and then up at Tony as he pressed into her space…and placed an apple in her still trembling hand, forcing her to close her fingers around it. “Eat your apple, Julie and I’ll make you pancakes.”

Julie swallowed, unable to look away from him for a moment or two as he pulled away and went to the stove. She glanced down at the apple in her grasp and did her best to eat it like a normal person as she felt her friends’ eyes on her, settling into a spot at the island.

Conversation resumed about her and she was grateful no one mentioned anything else about their discussion, letting her relax for a while before they started asking her what she and Tony had been getting up to in the lab earlier.

It went on that way for a bit, until Tony set down a plate with a couple of pancakes, strawberries and maple syrup in front of her and said; “ _Oh_ , by the way. You’ll need to speak to Pepper in the next few days as I’d like you to conduct a few meetings, you know, since you’ll be heading the Prosthetics Development Program from here on out. I mean, you’ve already _been_ head of the program for the last eight months, but well, you’ve been a bit busy and all.”

The kitchen went abnormally still and silent, so very, very silent. Tony turned when she didn’t say anything and promptly met with Julie’s positively _murderous_ stare. “Uh, but you know, that can wait. Not really the most impor-“

There was a very low growl and Tony cut himself off, swallowing hard as he felt his cock twitch. Oh, _wow. Yep_ , Julie mad at him and making _that_ little sound? _Totally doing it for him._ He failed to duck in time to avoid the apple core being chucked at his head. But it was worth it- _so worth it-_ to see the look on Julie’s face as she came practically _prowling_ around the counter brandishing the tablet threateningly at him.

The next five minutes descended into chaos as Julie decided to give Tony a piece of her mind while Clint and Bucky giggled like dorks, Steve grinned like the dope he was and Natasha smirked smugly behind her cup of coffee while she watched the morning’s proceedings with more than a touch of amusement dancing in her eyes.

And thus Julie’s first morning back in the lab had been… _well_ , not exactly a success, but close enough.

... 


	36. Thiry-Six

Julie is humming along softly to something under her breath and has been for the last five-minutes, but Tony hasn’t bothered to tell her he thinks it’s adorable because he’s too busy admiring the gorgeous figure she cuts in a suit. A damn _suit_.

Really, he only has himself to blame for this.  
He knows this, the Team knows this, Pepper and Rhodey know this.

So, Tony does the only sensible thing he can do and sigh despairingly and gaze longingly across the kitchen at Julie as she makes herself a cup of coffee and butters a bagel for her morning breakfast. And then her cellphone rings.

It was sitting out in plain sight only a few inches away from his own plate that was sporting a bagel-which Julie had made for him, by the way-when the Caller ID popped up as Pepper, he very nearly rolled his eyes. Julie’s face was suddenly filling his vision, however, as she popped over to the counter to scoop up her phone and give him a sweet smile.

Tony was going to die.

Two and a half months-it had been two and a half _awfully_ _wonderful_ months of Julie wandering around in blazers, pencil skirts, long, high waisted dress pants and _blouses_ and-he inhaled deeply- _heels_. Because yes, she could now wear heels and some days he was sure they rivalled even Pepper’s choices. _Christ_ , but he knew Pepper had been _responsible_ for her new wardrobe in the first place! This hadn’t even crossed his mind as a _possibility_ when he’d set her as head of the prosthetics program to conduct _meetings_ and shit.

He hung his head, staring beseechingly down at his half-eaten bagel smothered in _Nutella_ , because Julie clearly loved him and his stupid sweet tooth and yet they _still_ hadn’t gone any further together. He wasn’t mad about it either, he was alright with it. As alright as he could be about it. He knew things would work out eventually. He also knew that he could be happier if he just made a _move_ , but he was really struggling with the whole thing again. It wasn’t a matter of making a move, really, when it came down to it, it was a matter of _when_ _would be the right_ ** _time_**.

It’s a little over a week until Christmas, the Compound decked out in all kinds of Holiday Cheer and it was sort of infectious. Everyone was in high spirits, there hadn’t been an alien invasion or super-villain of the week- _knock on wood-_ for nearly three weeks and it was almost peaceful, one might say.

Tony looked up to catch the tail end of Julie’s conversation with Pepper then when he heard his name. “Yes, Tony and I will be there next Friday, you can assure them I’ll be dragging him along. I know they are looking forward to seeing him too-“

Julie laughed then and Tony’s gaze flickered up to find her eyes dancing with amusement as she regarded him, still chatting away with Pepper, phone pressed between her cheek and shoulder as she nibbled at her bagel. “I’m actually about to head over there now to meet with the new candidates and give them a brief overview-“

Julie hummed, taking another bite of her bagel before rolling her eyes. “I _know_ that I don’t have to be there for that, but I _want to_. I love hearing their stories, getting to know them and just-I like being able to _show them_ what I’m all about, what this program is all about-“

Tony was staring lovingly at the woman in front of him, all sappy-like, big giant puppy-dog eyes and dopey smile on his face as he watched her. She looked so happy and the things she was saying were making Tony’s heart swell with even _more_ love for this incredible woman.

That’s why-still half-asleep at the kitchen island-he watched Julie put her empty plate and mug in the dishwasher and blurted out, “ _I love you so much-_ “

Julie had turned then, clearly having heard him, but Pepper was obviously still talking to her so all Julie managed was the most perfect adoring smile directed at him before she said her goodbye’s to Pepper on the phone and hung up.

Tony didn’t say anything, just continued staring at her like a love-sick puppy as she strode over to him in those sexy black stilettos, pure white high-waisted flowy dress pants, an oversized bow at her hip and ruffled waist, along with a matching blouse with a plunging v-neck-that he really wanted to get closer to, to see if her tattoo was peeking out-blazer draped over the back of the chair next to him and Tony was not thinking about _accidentally_ spilling something on it just so she couldn’t cover herself up. Not at all.

She slipped her phone into one of the deep pockets of her pants as she stepped into his space. He wasn’t sure when he’d sat up properly, but boy was he ever glad he had when she slipped in close and he could _smell_ her perfume, the hair products she’d used to get it looking so perfectly wavy and _gorgeous_ and he inwardly groaned as her breast pressed lightly against his shoulder as she reached… _behind_ him?

He was confused for all of a second-his sleep addled brain, you see-as she then pulled her blazer off the chair on his left, she pressed lightly against his right. “Have a good day in the lab, Tony,” She murmured. “I might need to pop in a bit later to get a few reports done, but I know you’re having a guest, so I’ll check with Jarvis first.”

Tony nodded dumbly, watching as she pulled back only a little and then out of nowhere, pressed the softest, _chastest_ of kisses to his cheek.

Tony died. Let it be known that on this day-!

His brain was slow to reboot after that and all he did was stare at her in open-mouthed surprise as she smiled warmly at him and started to walk away, slipping her blazer on over that glorious blouse. He blinked stupidly for a very long time before Clint’s snicker reached his ears. _Right_. They had definitely not been alone in the kitchen, as much as it had felt that way.

Because there was Clint, Natasha, Bucky, Steve and Bruce grinning like dorks at him. “That’s probably the best fish expression I’ve ever come across, _honestly-_ “ Clint started to tease, only to be drowned out by the groups laughter.

“You two are actually killing me,” Natasha confessed with a weary sigh from her spot at the kitchen table, mug of coffee cradled in her hands.

Tony huffed, finally having managed to close his gaping mouth as he nodded. “Yeah, I have to agree with you there. Pretty sure I’m slowly killing myself with this too,” He admitted.

Steve made a curious sound as he slipped into the seat beside him, drawing Tony’s gaze. “You going to do something about it?”

Tony sighed, shrugging a bit. “I’d like to, I mean, I really do want to-“

“ _But?_ ” Bucky asked, leaning on the island opposite him, chin held in the palm of his metal hand as he regarded his friend.

“But I’m too chicken-shit-“ Tony sighed, rubbing at his temple. “You all know this-“

Bruce scoffed and well, Bruce usually didn’t do that. So, Tony looked over at the man in question. Bruce was sitting on one of the island stools, spectacles low on his nose as he regarded Tony over the rim of his glasses. He was holding a damn newspaper- _the heathen,_ Tony thought absently-and shaking his head.

“You are by far the _least_ chicken-shit person I know, Stark,” Bruce sighed and it was all long-suffering. “You constantly throw yourself into harm’s way in an attempt to say others, even if it was only to save _one_ other, you would still put your life on the line. So no, Tony. I don’t believe you when you say you’re too chicken-shit to make a move.”

Tony’s brows furrowed as he regarded his friend. Bruce was always quiet, never really involved himself too much in their conversations and the like, preferring to live a quieter life, even with his job description. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t always _there._

“You think I’m lying?” Tony blurted.

Bruce chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I think, you’ve made yourself believe that this is the real reason you keep putting off making a move. I think the _real_ reason you haven’t tried to progress any further with Julie is because you think she’s not ready.”

Tony blinked, staring at his friend. “I…I do think that,” He admitted quietly.

Bruce gave him a small smile, but it was filled with exasperation. “Julie has been ready for you to make a move for _weeks_ , Tony. You were right to wait until she was comfortable, but just an F.Y.I? Her being in your space more, her nearly _flaunting_ herself at you every chance she gets and you know, maybe the little kisses she keeps laying on you might be ringing some kind of bells-“ He said teasingly.

Tony’s cheeks heated. She had, _admittedly_ , been giving him little kisses…on the cheeks, the forehead and one memorable morning when he’d woken on the lab couch to her smiling face and a kiss against his chin. She’d even been touching him more. Gentle caresses to his arms, his shoulders…brushing back some of his hair when it was in his eyes.

He swallowed hard. _Had_ she been ready and he just hadn’t picked up on it? _Yep_ , was totally possible that had happened.

“I’m an _idiot_ -“ Tony blurted.

Bruce shook his head as the others snickered. “ _Now_ he gets it,” Natasha sighed, a mournful shake of her head.

Tony huffed, getting up and wiping the crumbs off his hands. He’d finished his deliciously sweet bagel. “Okay _, new plan-_ “ He said, hastily putting his dishes in the dish-washer and turning to his friends. “ _Date night-_ “

Steve gestured widely to him. “ _Excellent_ plan-“

And then they were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of thunder, a flash of lightning illuminating the room announcing Thor’s arrival. Tony sighed deeply. “But we’re going to have to put it on hold until we get Goldilocks and Reindeer Games taken care of-“

Steve and Bucky both sighed, well aware that they’d be on Loki duty for the rest of the day. They were _always_ on Loki duty where the mischief maker was concerned. A day in the life of the Avengers or something like that.

.

“I thought you might be interested to see this, Stark,” Loki drawled, putting the small object he’d only just brandished at Tony back into the breast pocket of his suit; why he was wearing a suit, Tony didn’t know. “But if you’re going to keep calling me names, I don’t think I’ll show you.”

Tony rolled his eyes, arms crossed in annoyance in front of his chest as he eyed first Loki and then his brother, giving the blond a look as if to say, _is he for real?_ Thor sighed apologetically and nudged Loki’s side with a sharp elbow, to which, Loki gave him a near snarl and moved out of his reach.

Tony chuckled. “You’re supposed to be trying to get back into our good books-“ Tony started, physically having to stop himself from tacking on a not-so-nice nickname by taking a deeper breath and continuing. “Is this how you’re going to do it?”

Loki sneered at Tony, shaking his head when Thor simply cleared his throat. It was like a dog on a leash, Tony was so pleased. Loki took a deeper breath himself then and withdrew the small orb from his breast pocket, extending it towards the genius.

Bucky, Steve and Tony all very much resisted the urge to lean in and get a look-see. This was new technology. _Asgardian_ technology and it was sort of terrifying, even if it wasn’t about to hurt them. It was theoretically going to help them develop a new kind of energy source for the Avenger’s vehicles or at the very least, become a glorified paperweight on Tony’s desk if they couldn’t figure out how to make it work in their favour.

“ _Here-_ “ Loki said briskly, still thrusting it out at Tony.

Tony eyed him suspiciously. “I’m not taking it from you, who knows what you’ve done to it-“

There were twin groans from Steve and Bucky and Thor just sighed deeply as he hung his head. “We’ll go to the lab-“ Tony reasoned, watching Loki roll his eyes so hard it was a miracle he didn’t somehow brain himself.

So, off they went, the five men piling into the elevator. Thor struck up a conversation his friends while Loki kept silent, still holding onto the little blue glowy-swirly ball. They were almost at the lab when Jarvis cleared his throat, very lightly. “Sir-“

Tony waved a hand at the camera in the corner of the elevator, too busy smiling and listening to Thor recounting something that had happened last week that had Steve laughing too loudly in the tight space, near doubled over with it. Jarvis gave up for another moment and then they were on the lab floor, the doors sliding open and then he was trying again as they filed out.

“ _Sir-_ “ Jarvis said, more insistent this time.

Tony sighed. “J, what’s up? Can’t you see we’re in the mi-“

“ _I know-_ “ Jarvis said impatiently and Tony gave the nearest camera lens a _look._ “I didn’t _want_ to interrupt, but-“

“And who is this?” Loki asked curiously, now standing by the glass doors to the lab, the doors-thank goodness-locked.

Tony’s face paled as Jarvis seemed to sigh, “Julie is in the lab.”

Steve and Bucky were immediately trying to block Loki’s prying gaze, but it was obviously too late. “Oh wonderful!” Thor proclaimed. “I have missed our lovely Julie.”

Tony hung his head in defeat, _great, so they were doing this_ , he thought, shooting Loki a warning look as he stepped up beside the god. “Be on your best behaviour, do you understand? Or so help me-“ He threatened, though he shouldn’t have bothered when Thor clamped a hand down on Loki’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Julie is a much treasured friend, brother. You’d best heed Stark’s warning,” The god whispered, entirely serious.

Loki didn’t say anything for a moment, instead looking between the two and then noting the stony faces of the super-soldiers before he replied. “Very well.”

They should have known better. Loki really didn’t have the best track record, after all.

“ _Julie!_ ” Thor boomed as Tony let them into the lab.

The blonde spun on her heels. God _damnit!_ She hadn’t even bothered to _change_ before coming to the lab. Tony needed to make that a rule or something. Because Julie in a suit wearing freaking stilettos and surrounded by his Iron Man suits and _tech_? Yeah, _no_ , _waaay_ too much sexy for even his genius brain.

She smiled brightly at Thor as the god stepped right up to her and enveloped her in a hug, lifting her up off of the ground and everything. She laughed, cheeks flushing as he clearly tried hard to restrain himself, whereas she hung on for dear life as she returned his hug.

“Thor! I’m so happy you’re back! You are back, right? You said you were going to spend Christmas with us this year, didn’t you?” She asked, releasing her grasp on him as he set her back down.

Thor nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes I’m back. Though I may return to Asgard for a few things before Christmas, I promise to come right back,” He assured.

Julie was beaming at him as she gave his arms a squeeze. “It’s good to see you again, it’s been a while.”

“And you as well, Julie. You’re looking lovely. Did you have a meeting today, is that why you’re dressed so differently?” He queried.

Julie blushed lightly, reaching up to push some of her long hair back behind her ear nervously. She’d lost her blazer, Tony noticed. Actually, it wasn’t exactly lost, seeing as it was sitting on his workbench with a very discernible tear in the back of the poor thing. Tony wondered who he had to thank for that for only an instant before he was drawn back to _why_ Julie was in the lab in the first place when she should have been at a meeting still. At least he thought she should be.

“Thank you, honey. I was, yes. But I got this _incredible idea!_ ” She shouted, glee evident in her voice as she turned back around to her displays, of which, there were several.

She had five holographic displays at varying heights before her, not even bothering to use her workstation at the moment and instead having taken over Tony’s for better maneuverability. “An idea?” Thor asked, while Tony, Steve, Bucky _and_ Loki came in a touch closer.

“Yes, it’s brilliant, actually. If I do say so myself,” She laughed, skillfully manipulating the displays to show her exactly what she wanted to see.

“Of course it’s brilliant, Julie-“ Bucky chuckled from behind her and she grinned, turning to look at him properly.

“Am I ever glad you’re here, Bucky. I need your arm and your brain. I wanted to ask you about the sensors in your wrist and your mobility and-“ She started to ramble excitedly.

“Hang on a minute-“ Bucky laughed, interrupting her and she stood back a bit, giving him a sheepish smile.

“It can wait-it can _totally_ wait-“ She dismissed, but the three men knew better because she was sporting that manic grin with a gleam in her eyes.

Loki cleared his throat then and stepped out from practically behind Thor’s impeding shadow. Julie blinked straightening up as she caught sight of him. “ _Oh,_ I’m so sorry, Tony,” She said quickly, shooting the genius an apologetic look. “I knew you were having a visitor, but Jarvis said you weren’t in the lab and I thought-“

“It’s alright-“ Tony waved, smiling at her. “Genius ideas are hard to stop once they get rolling.”

Julie laughed at that, blushing lightly as she nodded, glancing back at her displays and clearly absolutely _itching_ to get back at it if the anxious drumming of her fingertips against her thigh was anything to go by.

“I’ll only be a bit and I can get out of your hair-“ She motioned, gaze catching on Loki once again before slipping back to Tony.

“She can stay, can’t she, Stark?” Loki asked, stepping around Thor and putting himself directly in front of her instead.

Julie looked up at him in surprise, even in the heels everyone still tended to be taller than her, Loki was no different. Tony cleared his throat slightly, drawing her attention. “You won’t be in our way, Julie if you’d like to continue-“

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Stark?” Loki drawled, gaze firmly fixed on Julie’s face, his eyes having already swept up and down her frame nearly a dozen times since they’d entered the lab; Julie had caught the last one and was eyeing him a touch warily now.

Tony forced a breath out through his seemingly tight lungs and nodded. “Sure-“ He muttered and then cleared his throat. “Julie, this is Loki. Loki, this is Julie.”

Loki smiled, obviously pleased with himself as he let his gaze slip a little lower before settling back on Julie’s pretty face...that was no longer smiling at him. “Thor’s brother-” She deadpanned-Loki doing his best not to roll his eyes at that-and looked to Thor. “ _This_ is your brother?” She asked... _er, demanded._

Thor nodded, obliviously happy about that fact. For whatever incredulous reason. Julie nodded, eyes narrowing for an instant. “I see, well, excuse me. I have work to do-“ She dismissed him, turning and picking up right where she left off.

Tony was grinning like the biggest fucking idiot, it was disgusting, but he really couldn’t very well help it.

Loki blinked, smile slipping off his face in increments and being replaced with confusion instead. He looked around at the others for a beat and then turned his attention back to Julie who was clearly _actually_ back to work and even going so far as to speak to Jarvis about needing to use the fabricator-

“Excuse me-“ Loki tried, walking around in an attempt to disrupt her work.

It worked and she looked confused and more than a little annoyed as her displays were suddenly being blanked out by Loki. Jarvis just moved them to her left, however, but still. _Annoying._ “Yes?” She asked impatiently.

Loki cleared his throat slightly, schooling his features into one of a... _pleasant_ nature. “Would you join me for lunch? Perhaps dinner as well? I’m sure Asgard would agree with you incredibly so, perhaps we could discuss having you stay with me for a while. I do have a lot of pull on Asgard, you see-“

Julie blinked at him, her one delicate eyebrow rising higher...and higher...and _higher_ the more he went on. She raised a hand in a gesture of silence and he couldn’t apparently help the look of abject confusion on his face as he looked between the palm of her hand and her eyes.

“Hang on there, Sirius Black-“ She sighed, hand falling back to her side and letting herself glance over his entirely black suit and then back up to his slicked back hair; yep, _total greaser._

Loki blinked, barely resisting the urge to mouth the name back at her, wondering what the fuck a Sirius Black was, apparently. He missed the fact that Tony was _still_ grinning and now so were Steve and Bucky...while Thor looked, _thoughtful?_

“What makes you think that I would want to have lunch with you?” She asked carefully, crossing her arms in front of her chest and effectively displaying _more_ of her cleavage; Tony was definitely still dying, by the way.

“Who wouldn’t?” Loki scoffed, as if that were a _normal_ response.

Tony could see the angry flush coming a mile away and yeah, he really wished he had popcorn or a drink or _something_ for this moment.

The angry red flush started to spread very slowly over the bridge of her nose and then her cheeks and Tony just knew it would be spreading down her throat any seco-

“ _Well_ , I feel that I should really tell you that you’re entirely wrong about that. I have absolutely zero interest in having lunch or dinner with you, any meal, for that matter and I certainly wouldn’t consider going to Asgard with you, of all people-“

“I’m not _people_ -“ Loki said heatedly. “Do you even know who you’re speaking to?” He challenged, taking a step towards her.

And then _Tony_ was taking a step towards her too, but Julie merely held up a hand to him in a quiet gesture of, _I got this_. So, Tony let her handle it. He didn’t exactly _doubt_ that she could. Just you know, _Loki_ and all.

Julie’s arms lowered slowly and now the angry flush was receding and that couldn’t be good. She rose a brow to him in challenge. “Do _you_ know who you are? Because if I remember correctly-“ She started, looking to the boys for confirmation. “He was the one who was responsible for that alien invasion a few years ago?”

She didn’t even wait for Bucky or Steve or even Tony to nod before she was looking to Thor. “And he was the one you told all those _stories_ about how he had _stabbed_ you-“ She clicked her tongue, reaching up and tapping her chin thoughtfully. “At _least_ 14 times-“ Loki sputtered at that and she turned her cool gaze back on him. “ _Including_ when you purposefully transformed into a _snake_ , a creature I know for a fact Thor _loves_ and then _stabbed him for it?_ ” She asked incredulously.

“That was me- _yes-_ “ He said in annoyance, almost dismissively, but he looked a tad uncomfortable at where this conversation was going.

Julie nodded. “So again-“ She asked. “ _Why_ would _I_ want to grace you with _my_ presence, _my_ attention?”

Loki blinked. “Because I am a _God-_ “

Julie laughed, but it was humourless. “You may be a god, but you’re also a dumbass-“ She muttered. “I am not interested in a _God_ -“ She explained. “And certainly not one such as yourself-“ She informed him, giving him a very scrutinizing once over. “I much prefer my men to be just that, _men-_ who are intelligent, kind, generous, _handsome_ -“ She murmured, voice dropping lower as she purposely cut her gaze to Tony and kept him pinned with her stare for a moment or two as she gave him an appreciative once over.

He instantly felt his cheeks warming and then her gaze was shifting back to Loki.

“So next time you ask someone to lunch or dinner or offer to _kidnap_ them, you might also want to consider that they may not want to or you know-“ She sighed, turning and this time it was going to be a final dismissal, Tony knew. “Make sure that they’re openly available and would maybe _like_ to spend time with you before you go on proposing such ideas, because I’m not exactly sorry to inform you, Loki, but I’m on _one_ clock and I’ve only got time for Mr. Stark.”

Fully turned away from the four of them now, she went back to her displays before murmuring, “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have an important idea to get back to.”

Loki just stood there looking gobsmacked, to be fair, so did Tony. Because that had been pretty plain, Tony thought at least. Great, now he knew they were definitely on the same page now. _Excellent._ Now to just get rid of Loki and usher the other three out and he could maybe fucking _do something about it!_

“You heard the lady-“ Steve put in, having kept quiet but obviously invested in seeing what would happen. “Time to leave her be.”

Loki huffed, turning on his heel and just as he was about to hightail it out of there, Thor caught his arm, stalling him. He looked up into his brother’s face as he reached into his breast pocket for him and pulled out the little orb he’d somehow stashed again. “ _I’ll_ give this to Stark. Perhaps you should head up to the kitchen and make yourself something for lunch,” Thor suggested quietly, giving his brother a _very_ pointed look.

Loki swallowed and then gave a single nod before he was disappearing entirely from the room. Tony was disappointed there were no sparkles or confetti involved in his retreat. That could have been fun.

Thor turned his attention back to his friends and smiled brightly as he placed the glowing orb in Tony’s outstretched hand. “Thank you, Thor. I’ll let you know how it works for us,” Tony managed to whisper, not wanting to interrupt Julie who was talking to Jarvis again.

Thor nodded, drawing the three men farther away from where Julie was working. “I am eager to see how it turns out,” Thor agreed, smirking and flicking his gaze back towards Julie.

He was clearly not talking about the orb thingy.

Tony nodded. He was just as eager.

They chatted for a few minutes, not about anything too important, just Christmas plans and the like, Tony cuing back in to Julie when he heard her arguing with Jarvis.

“But I need to use the fabricator, _J_ -“ She sighed.

“And I am aware that you need to, _Julie-_ “ Jarvis replied. “But we talked about this. Unless you are wearing proper lab attire, I cannot allow you to operate heavy machinery-“

“Oh, _come on_ -“ She muttered. “I was in a _hurry-_ “

“And because you were in a hurry you had a lab accident-“

“I _did not!_ ” She squeaked. “It wasn’t even _my fault!_ Dum-E came out of nowhere-“ She tried to defend, only for the bot to wheel over towards her.

She glared warningly at it, but Dum-E didn’t back down, merely rolled back a smidge and then parked itself next to the fabricator. Her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. “ _Fine_ , you don’t want me to use the fabricator, no problem. I’ll just get Dum-E to use-“

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea-“ Tony blurted, watching the eager beeping on Dum-E’s part and quickly walking over to the pair.

Julie pouted and it was so goddamn adorable. Tony smiled at her crookedly. “How about this. Jarvis won’t let you use it because you’re still dressed all fancy and I assume you don’t want to leave the lab because you’re _in the zone_ -“ He teased. “So, I’ll run it for you. You just tell me what we’re making.”

Julie blinked and then a wide smile bloomed on her pretty pink lips. “That sounds wonderful, Tony,” She agreed quietly.

“Great, let me just-“ He motioned towards the guys still chatting idly about getting together for some sparring in the coming days, but then they were waving as they started towards the elevators.

“We’ll see you later, Tony. Don’t blow anything up with that-“ Steve warned, pointing towards the glowy orb on one of the workbenches.  
Tony made a mental note to put it somewhere a little more safe. “Sure thing, we’ll see you guys at dinner, don’t let us get too preoccupied with whatever Julie’s got in mind-“

Julie huffed lightly beside him and he smiled. “ _Oh!_ And don’t forget, I need to pester you later, Bucky. It can wait, _really_ , but like..only until tomorrow?” She said hopefully.

Bucky chuckled, smiling fondly at her as they slipped out into the hall, Thor beaming brightly at the pair. “Only until tomorrow, got it. We can chat a little bit tonight after dinner, if you like.”

“ _Perfect!_ ” She said happily. “I’ll see you guys then.”

After the bit of commotion the group had caused, with just the two of them and the bots for company, the lab seemed a lot more quiet than usual given Tony hadn’t been playing much in the way of music down here since Julie had come back.

He cleared his throat slightly, glancing down at Julie’s feet for a second when he got an idea. “How about you throw on your UGG’s at least, that way you can give you feet a rest while you boss me around?”

Julie smirked, cheeks heating a little as she walked over to her desk and pulled out a pair of knee high black UGG’s. “ _Deal._ ”

It didn’t take them long to get into their normal swing of working together, though Julie was giving him a few more orders than usual. Tony didn’t exactly mind because she hadn’t left to _change_ , thank goodness. He really did like what she was wearing, _okay?_

_._

“Hey, Tony?” Julie said gently.

They were on their way down the hallway to the common floor kitchen for dinner when she stopped him with a careful hand on his forearm.

Tony blinked, looking to her curiously. “Yeah?”

“I hope I didn’t upset you earlier…with anything I may have said to Loki,” She said quietly.

Tony frowned, turning to face her fully as they stopped walking for a moment. “You didn’t upset me, Julie. Why would you think that?”

Julie shrugged a little, letting her hand slip from his arm and Tony really did try not to miss the warmth so much. “I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t out of line or anyth-“

“ _Goonadatewithme-_ “ Tony rushed out.

Julie blinked at him in confusion, clearly not having understood him. “Pardon?”

Tony huffed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. He was so not good at this. “I used to be smooth-“ He muttered instead.

Julie did hear that and she smiled, ducking her head a little to try and catch his gaze. “Something you were trying to say, Tony?” She prompted gently.

Tony sighed softly, smiling as he withdrew his hand from the bridge of his nose and was met with her adorably timid smile and bright blue eyes looking up at him. He relaxed near instantly and smiled adoringly at her.

“Yeah-“ He murmured, swallowing thickly as he tried not to over thing this. “Would you like to go to dinner with me?” He managed, voice careful and shy and Julie was still smiling at him, so he kept smiling back.

He watched as her eyes began to crinkle at the corners with the force of her smile, her cheeks _must_ have been hurting with the force of it too. “Yes, Tony. I-I’d really love to,” She whispered, voice shaking with nerves.

Tony started nodding before he could stop himself and then realized he couldn’t _stop_. “That’s great, like, _super great_. I-uh-dinner, h-how about on Christmas Eve? Just us, you and me and like a date- _date-_ “ He rambled.

Julie was still beaming at him, though her nose was scrunching up in such an adorable cheeky kind of smile now. “Yes, Tony, a date- _date_ -“ She agreed. “And Christmas Eve sounds perfect.”

Tony was still nodding, but he finally did manage to get himself to stop. “ _Great-_ “ He agreed. “It’s a date. I’ll take care of everything and have Jarvis work out the details, so yeah-“

Julie reached out then and cupped the side of his face, thumb brushing over the side of his cheek and smoothing down his facial hair. She told herself she didn’t feel warmth begin to spread through her when she caught sight of a few of his grey hairs slipping beneath the pad of her thumb. “It’s a date, Tony,” She murmured in agreement, leaning in and barely pressing her soft lips to the corner of his mouth.

He inhaled shakily as she pulled away, slipping past him and heading towards the kitchen. Tony stood there for far too long and it wasn’t until someone had called his name on the _third try_ that he finally got with the program and forced his brain and body back online.

When he entered the kitchen a minute later, it was to the sight of a lightly blushing Julie chuckling as she recounted the look on Loki’s face when she turned him down to Peter, Steve and Bucky grinning like dorks as they retold what she’d said to him.

Just as she was turning to look for him, or at least, that’s what he assumed, Steve was reaching out and touching her ear. “Oh, you’re missing an earring, Julie. Did you forget to put it in?” Steve asked gently, Tony coming over to see what was up.

She frowned, reaching up to touch both of her ears and sure enough, she was missing one of her studs. She pulled the remaining one out and shrugged. “I must have lost it, it’s no big deal. They’re just cheap little baubles I picked up a long time ago. I’ve got a few other pairs I can make due with.”

Tony blinked as he watched her put the earring in the trash can and knew he’d secretly ask Jarvis later about her jewelry collection and when Julie turned only a moment later and smiled so sweetly at him, the light blush spread over her cheeks deepening and disappearing down her throat at just the _sight of him_ …he knew this was going to be the longest week of his life…and probably hers as well.

And they called him a genius…why the _hell_ hadn’t he asked her to dinner _tomorrow_ night instead? _Oh well_ , Christmas Eve was far more romantic. He could totally do romantic.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, guys! We're two chapters away from the finish! Can you freaking believe it?! The next chapter is going to be a doozy though, so please bear with me, but, I did post another little short story that I wrote in the span of eight hours because of a silly awesome song that I just couldn't get out of my head. So go read that if you want something fun and smutty to read. xD It's called The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car.
> 
> Thanks again for getting me to 100,00 hits, my loves! 
> 
> Let me know what you think, I love comments, so tell me what you're hoping to see in the next couple of chapters and maybe I'll slip something in there, haha.
> 
> xoxo


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